Canada has a poverty problem. 4.9 million people across Canada currently live in poverty, 1.3 million of whom are children. 235,000 people experience homelessness annually. 1 in 8 Canadian households struggle to put food on the table.
Across the country, people now recognize that, while shelters and food banks are vital and necessary services to help those facing homelessness and food insecurity, they aren’t a long-term solution. That’s why each October 17th to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. People in communities from coast-to-coast-to-coast mobilize in their neighbourhoods to talk about how we can end poverty in Canada.
The Dignity for All campaign—a national anti-poverty campaign co-led by Canada Without Poverty and Citizens for Public Justice – launched Chew On This! in 2013 to bring those upstream policy conversations to people outside of Ottawa. In the years since, Chew On This! has grown to include groups in every province and territory – 64 groups in total in 2016, and thousands of postcards have gone out to the federal government calling for a comprehensive anti-poverty plan that puts people and human rights first.
Want to get involved in this year’s event? It’s easy to organize an event in your town, at your school, or with your community group.
How to get involved:
- Email us at michele@cwp-csp.ca to become an organizer
- Find volunteers. It’s good to have at least six.
- Pick a location to hand out your materials that will have high pedestrian traffic at lunchtime
- Find apples. We can help with this – groups have also used local food like Bannock before, which works great.
- Order your materials: postcards, magnets, buttons and bags which we’ll provide for free
- Pack your bags.
- Be a part of growing movement across Canada!
Chew organizer Kate Mechan explains how easy and fun it is to get involved:
For more information on how to be part of Chew On This! head to www.chewonthis.ca.
