#WeekInTheirKitchen is wrapping up, but the work continues

As I prepare for my final hours with my emergency food hamper, I find myself pulling together tools I can use with students (and others) in working towards a more food secure Calgary (or elsewhere). Food security cannot be separated from discussions about poverty. To work on food security we also need to look at the gap between social assistance (and our minimum wage) and the cost of living. Below are links to a few interesting multi-media tools that illustrate this gap and the need for emergency food programs.

Do the Math – The Stop Community Food Centre’s 2010 survey is available here. What’s the gap between social assistance and the cost of living in Ontario – take the survey to find out. Yes, it’s an Ontario tool and we’re in Alberta – but it’s still relevant. According to Lynn McIntyre, U of C scholar in Health Sciences, “Alberta has the poorest income support in Canada.”

The San Francisco Food Bank’s Hunger 101 multi-media tool is available here. This tool asks users to figure out how they’ll meet their daily nutritional needs on a limited income.

Lastly, why don’t we finish off this week by listening to the voices of those who have experienced hunger – we have not experienced hunger this week, but too many other people have. Check out photographer Michael Nye’s exhibit “About Hunger & Resilience.” You can preview a series of the photographs and audio clips documenting hunger in America here.

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