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For immediate release:

Hungry Canadians not on election wavelength 

Toronto, January 10, 2006 

As party leaders trade insults over ethics and integrity, 800,000 Canadians continue to use food banks every month to put food on the table and overcome the grind of poverty that appears destined to continue, no matter what the outcome of the election.

The leaders are scrapping over tax cuts, but the issue of hunger amongst Canadians remains off the election platforms, says Charles Seiden, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Food banks. Hunger in Canadian communities and across the country is not abating. We are looking for evidence in this election that Canadian leaders will work together to focus on substantial public policy changes, such as more income security for low-income Canadians. So far, we have not seen that.� According to the results of a recent national research poll commissioned by the CAFB, 57% of Canadians believe that government has a great deal of responsibility in solving the problem of hunger.*

The link between food insecurity and income is clear in the Canadian Association of Food Bank's 2005 HungerCount, an annual study of food bank use in Canada. The study reported a 25 per cent increase in usage of food banks since 1997, with a 118 per cent jump since 1989. More than half of Canada's food bank users - 51.6 per cent - are on social assistance, with 40.7 per cent of total users being children.

A 2005 Statistics Canada study on food insecurity in Canadian households said that an estimated 3.7 million people were food insecure at some point during 2000-2001, and that 40% of people in low-or lower-middle-income households reported some degree of food insecurity.

"Both studies are sobering evidence of a problem that is largely hidden in many of our communities", comments Charles Seiden, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Food Banks. Canadians who are the most vulnerable to food insecurity have the fewest resources at their disposal. We hope to work with a government that is making progress in reducing poverty the root cause of hunger.

Founded in 1985, the Canadian Association of Food Banks is the national umbrella organization representing voluntary food charities, including almost 250 member food banks. CAFB is the voice of food banks in Canada, with members and their respective agencies serving approximately 90% of people accessing emergency food programs nation-wide.

For a complete copy of HungerCount 2005, please contact the CAFB or visit the website at www.cafb-acba.ca

For more information:

Charles Seiden
Tel: 416 203.9241 Toll free: 1 877 535.0958
Email: charles@cafb-acba.ca

* These data are taken from a national poll with a sample size of 808 randomly selected eligible Canadian voters, fielded by Strategic Communications, December 27-30, 2005 and January 2-3, 2006. Margin of error is +/-3.4%, 19-times-out-of-20.