http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t306/NEWUSER_01_2007/fighthunger.gif (http://www.dailybread.ca/get_involved/donate.cfm)
An invitation from Daily Bread Food Bank,

There is no excuse for hunger and poverty in a country as wealthy as Canada. Yet in the Greater Toronto Area alone over 75,000 people need to access a food bank every month; 34% are children. The consequences of failing to act to end poverty and hunger in our communities include poor health, reduced opportunity for children, and decreased likelihood of livable neighborhoods that sustain a vibrant and productive society.

Fortunately, hunger is not inevitable and proactive responses to the underlying causes of poverty can promote the goal of a society where everyone has enough food to eat. Daily Bread Food Bank (http://www.dailybread.ca/) has a plan for addressing hunger in a coordinated way. Daily Bread recently launched Hungry City> Make Your Mark (http://www.hungrycity.ca/), an initiative meant to engage and mobilize Ontarians to elect a provincial government on October 10th 2007 that will commit to ending hunger and poverty.

Hungry City calls for the next Ontario government to appoint a Minister for Social Inclusion to coordinate with provincial government ministries and to agree to a comprehensive poverty reduction plan with targets and timelines. A New Deal to Fight Hunger (http://www.dailybread.ca/hungrycity/newdeal/upload/Daily_Bread_A_New_Deal_2007.pdf) should put in place programs and policies that will address hunger and poverty as these issues urgently relate to Children, Welfare & Work, People with Disabilities, Immigrants, and Housing.

We know that electing a government that will move toward a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy requires political and public will. The Hungry City >Make Your Mark initiative aims to collect 50,000 signatures in support of the above goal. Hundreds have already signed on to the initiative through our website hungrycity.ca (http://www.hungrycity.ca/), and we need your support as well. You care about poverty, so be sure to Make Your Mark by signing on (http://www.dailybread.ca/hungrycity/makeyourmark/signon.cfm?mode1=on&submode1=on)!

Why don't you donate some jobs?

Funny thing -- I both donate and receive donations via christmas hampers, and usually, I end up donating 50% of what I got at Christmas, a year later. :P Aside from that, most of the stuff is expired. In 2005, my Christmas hamper had a can of soup that offered a trip to the Calgary Olympics!! Last Christmas, we got a box of Mexican Rice Crispies that expired in "Mayo 2003". I know they mean well, but come on, do you seriously think we're going to eat that?

The soup was thrown out (the can was bulging, a sign of botulism) and the cereal was made into bread crumbs. (It tasted bad with milk, but ground up and in hamburgers you could barely notice.)

We also got a large thing of oatmeal, but when it was about half done, we noticed earwigs living in it. Not fun.

Why donate food?

bandaide solution.

Clearly if there's such a big need for food in this city - your focusing on the wrong part of the problem...

... I like the donate a job idea... will have a more long term impact!

Shouldn't you spend more of your time focusing on how to get these people out of poverty - i.e. shut down Wal-Mart, fight for increased min. wages, better labour rights, lower student loans - instead of jars of peanut butter?

It's like public housing, we can never build enough of it ... there seems to be infinite demand ... maybe we need to look at doing things a different way.

Just my 2 cents.

Why don't you donate some jobs?

Funny thing -- I both donate and receive donations via christmas hampers, and usually, I end up donating 50% of what I got at Christmas, a year later. :P Aside from that, most of the stuff is expired. In 2005, my Christmas hamper had a can of soup that offered a trip to the Calgary Olympics!! Last Christmas, we got a box of Mexican Rice Crispies that expired in "Mayo 2003". I know they mean well, but come on, do you seriously think we're going to eat that?

The soup was thrown out (the can was bulging, a sign of botulism) and the cereal was made into bread crumbs. (It tasted bad with milk, but ground up and in hamburgers you could barely notice.)

We also got a large thing of oatmeal, but when it was about half done, we noticed earwigs living in it. Not fun.

OMG this is bizarre! Hard to believe some of that stuff made it into hampers. You should have entered the contest to go back into time to the Calgary Olympics! :lol:

[QUOTE=urban 2.0;14470082]Why donate food?

bandaide solution.

Clearly if there's such a big need for food in this city - your focusing on the wrong part of the problem...

... I like the donate a job idea... will have a more long term impact!

Shouldn't you spend more of your time focusing on how to get these people out of poverty - i.e. shut down Wal-Mart, fight for increased min. wages, better labour rights, lower student loans - instead of jars of peanut butter?

It's like public housing, we can never build enough of it ... there seems to be infinite demand ... maybe we need to look at doing things a different way.


I've never understood the need for "Public Housing", per se.. this type of "Projects" ghettoizes the poor. I can't see why if you qualify for assistance, the government can't just send a subsidy cheque to your landlord, wherever you have chosen to live. Why does it have to be in a government owned bu building? I believe BC does it this way.
Food donations are a band aid solution, but sometimes are necessary. Anyone who has every suffered hunger knows this. I think job training, especially for street kids, is an important area that is underlooked. It has just been revealed that an Ontario minister granted $1,000,000 to a Cricket Association that he had contacted and encouraged to apply to him for a year end grant. They only asked for $150,000, but he showered them with $1,000,000. Wouldn't that have been better spent on training troubled youth?

They have public housing so they can have more control over the person. Public housing is usually geared to income, which means they can prevent people from abusing it. Additionally, if they were just covering peoples rent, they would probably be living in more expensive places, the city wouldn't be able to afford that. Instead of building public housing all in one spot, it should be several units spread out. The NGO private housing here tried that and the units that are spread out have a smaller impact to the surrounding community and seem to be more beneficial to the occupants than some situations. The NGO Corp, however, also owns an 84 unit street of public housing, beside a city-run 51 unit, 6 townhouse "redneck village" (I call them that because most of them are full of poor white people) in a neighbourhood with one of the highest crime rates in town. The city also runs a 250 unit public housing neighbourhood beside a 120 unit senior public housing apartment tower, all in the shadow of about 100 privately run low-income housing for students and a 12 story, 200 unit low-income multi-use centre, a total of about 1000 low income people (mostly native and students in this one) and that's just north of Beverly (South of it has at least 1200 units but they're all mixed, from low income to gated condo townhouses) but the city run area just feels unsafe, whether it is or not. Not really an area you'd want to grow up in. Now, if those were spread out over the entire city, they probably would have that many problems. But, it is cheaper to run the entire thing in one place instead all spread out. :/

They have public housing so they can have more control over the person. Public housing is usually geared to income, which means they can prevent people from abusing it. Additionally, if they were just covering peoples rent, they would probably be living in more expensive places, the city wouldn't be able to afford that.. :/

No, it is not a case of the city paying whatever rent you ask them for.. if you are entitled to $400 per month based on your income, then $400 goes toward the rent. If you are living in a $1700 per month apartment, it is pretty hard to justify asking for the assistance. You truly have to prove you need the assistance, and part of the application would be requiring to give them info on what you are paying for rent. It is like Welfare.... they don't demand that all Welfare people live in the same building ... that would just ghettoize the people.
Other jurisdictions don't build their own housing, they subsidize the housing obtained by the applicant.

"that would just ghettoize the people"

So these 400$/month apartments are spread evenly throughout Toronto, I assume?

"that would just ghettoize the people"

So these 400$/month apartments are spread evenly throughout Toronto, I assume?

No vid, you misunderstand what I am saying. I am not saying people have to find a $400 dollar apartment so that their $400 allotment will cover 100% of the rent, because $400 apartments are extremely hard to find. Public housing is not free... they pay a portion of your rent for you. In other words, your rent is geared to your income. It is just a subsidy, that is all- people will still have to pay the balance of the rent, but the $400 cheque goes directly to the landlord. I am a bit surprised this is such a novel concept here.. it is done that way in some other provinces... Manitoba and BC, I believe, but they have traditionally been more NDP type of places.
When you take all the poor people, and put them together in one building, this stigmatizes and ghettoizes them. If you allow them the dignity to live where they choose, they are not given that label of living in assisted housing. I have a friend who has had to go this route, and it is hard for him to live in a building where he automatically feels like he has been categorized into a box.

Why don't you donate some jobs?

Funny thing -- I both donate and receive donations via christmas hampers, and usually, I end up donating 50% of what I got at Christmas, a year later. :P Aside from that, most of the stuff is expired. In 2005, my Christmas hamper had a can of soup that offered a trip to the Calgary Olympics!! Last Christmas, we got a box of Mexican Rice Crispies that expired in "Mayo 2003". I know they mean well, but come on, do you seriously think we're going to eat that?

The soup was thrown out (the can was bulging, a sign of botulism) and the cereal was made into bread crumbs. (It tasted bad with milk, but ground up and in hamburgers you could barely notice.)

We also got a large thing of oatmeal, but when it was about half done, we noticed earwigs living in it. Not fun.

Come again? Donate Jobs? I don't think i follow.

Just doing my job spreading the call for people to help donate.

Money or Food... All the best.

When you take all the poor people, and put them together in one building, this stigmatizes and ghettoizes them. If you allow them the dignity to live where they choose, they are not given that label of living in assisted housing. I have a friend who has had to go this route, and it is hard for him to live in a building where he automatically feels like he has been categorized into a box.

Very well said, and i agree with you.

But i think people in need for gov. help should not be getting picky. Again, i do agree with your point of view, but we have so many people living in poverty in Toronto, if we can get them housed that is a great step forward... Too many homeless people. I think once we have solved that problem we can look at spreading out the housing issue to avoid stereotypes.

Peace!

Why donate food?

bandaide solution.

Clearly if there's such a big need for food in this city - your focusing on the wrong part of the problem...

... I like the donate a job idea... will have a more long term impact!

Shouldn't you spend more of your time focusing on how to get these people out of poverty - i.e. shut down Wal-Mart, fight for increased min. wages, better labour rights, lower student loans - instead of jars of peanut butter?

It's like public housing, we can never build enough of it ... there seems to be infinite demand ... maybe we need to look at doing things a different way.

Just my 2 cents.

Easy there cowboy... Shut down Wal Mart... what's next, Impeach bush? :lol:

I 100% agree with you, but reality dictates small steps required because the rich will break you and me in half if we touch their profits.. You can shelf the idea of wal-mart, or do your best not to shop at that slavery-pit stop.

I personally believe it's disgusting as it is, that a city as rich as Toronto has so many people living in poverty, and not to forget the homeless, utterly disgusting indeed. Just goes to show you that there's allot of people that do not give a flying #$%^! It' drives me crazy to see people like our delusional mayor trying to win Toronto as number one city world wide when he fails to solve many of the cities problems without yapping about tax this and tax that.

Add to my disgust is fact minimum wage is like the approved slavery.

Toronto aint #$$% when compared to European cities, where people actually are treated like people and not fregen slaves making the boss richer and his wife's fashion-taste better.

Toronto is like a 3rd-world city in fregen disguise.

Very well said, and i agree with you.

But i think people in need for gov. help should not be getting picky. Again, i do agree with your point of view, but we have so many people living in poverty in Toronto, if we can get them housed that is a great step forward... Too many homeless people. I think once we have solved that problem we can look at spreading out the housing issue to avoid stereotypes.

Peace!

First and foremost, I see it as a way to save money. I don't think the gov't should be in the business of building apartment blocks. Direct subsidization would be more efficient, and god knows not many assisted houses have been built in the past decade. The waiting list is a ludicrous 5+ years!

First and foremost, I see it as a way to save money. I don't think the gov't should be in the business of building apartment blocks. Direct subsidization would be more efficient, and god knows not many assisted houses have been built in the past decade. The waiting list is a ludicrous 5+ years!

I agree with you, and esp. regarding the waiting list, it's ludicrous!

Yes they need to build more, but chances are we will see them build more before we see them diversify the project itself to stop the continuing trend of classifying people by their address.

Come again? Donate Jobs? I don't think i follow.

Just doing my job spreading the call for people to help donate.

Money or Food... All the best.

Poor as I am, I have never received money from charity. And the food, if you saw my post in the other thread, was just crap that most people don't want.

In 2004, we got a can of some sort of green fruit. We have no idea what they were, the entire can was in Japanese! They smelled terrible. My uncle ate them. He's like a dog, if it lands his way, he'll eat it. He grew up even poorer than I did, though. I had the luxury of being a bit picky with my food, he didn't.

vid... are u telling the truth or making up these stories? Are they really true? Sometimes Dominion sells plastic bags full of staples like mac/cheese, peanut butter, beans, rice, etc... that you can throw into a big container for collection. That stuff looks decent. I am horrified by all the junk they are giving you. Green mystery fruit? Uggh.

I think I'm about out of odd christmas hamper stories. :P the turkey was got last year was split in half inside the bag but that happens, safeway and some other sores will donate flawed turkeys to christmas hamper programs, nothing wrong with it. My uncle made it for dinner, it was good. You gets lots of soup and beans, nothing really out of the ordinary. Nothing fancy either. We got melba toast one year too, back in the late 90s I think. You can't tell if it's gone bad, it's SUPPOSED to be stale. ;)

Good with jam. Most hampers will give you blueberry or strawberry jam, I find, those are the most basic flavours. One year we got jam AND marmedade, gave the marmalade to my grandmother. They were fine. :P

Obviously, I'm not going to tell about the mundane normal stuff we get, there is no humour it.


"I got a hamper one year and it had a can of chicken noodle soup. Imagine that! Chicken noodle soup!"

*tumbleweed*

vid... are u telling the truth or making up these stories? Are they really true? Sometimes Dominion sells plastic bags full of staples like mac/cheese, peanut butter, beans, rice, etc... that you can throw into a big container for collection. That stuff looks decent. I am horrified by all the junk they are giving you. Green mystery fruit? Uggh.

Yah these are usually ones i go for, i find them more ideal then picking random stuff to donate.

In 2004, we got a can of some sort of green fruit. We have no idea what they were, the entire can was in Japanese! They smelled terrible. My uncle ate them. He's like a dog, if it lands his way, he'll eat it. He grew up even poorer than I did, though. I had the luxury of being a bit picky with my food, he didn't.


Vid, that is bad news, i'm really surprised to hear that!

Easy there cowboy... Shut down Wal Mart... what's next, Impeach bush? :lol:
Ideally, yes and yes. The latter might just come about soon.

Ideally, yes and yes. The latter might just come about soon.

There's a greater chance Wal-Mart would get shut down before Bush - who is 100% backed-up by AIPAC - would ever get impeached. Bush is AIPAC'S bitch and he will bomb IRAN to please his masters in Israel, just like he bombed IRAQ over lies to also please Israel...

Operation Iraq Liberation!

American president sends American citizens to die for Israel, yet only war Israel took-on for USA was Israel vs. Hezb'Allah and that ended in a huge embarrassments for Israel & USA. That war left American generals scratching their heads and wondering where the heck did all the American Tax Payers Aid to Israel (http://www.wrmea.com/html/us_aid_to_israel.htm) go, never mind the factuality that Israel IDF capability is mostly Hype!

... I like the donate a job idea... will have a more long term impact!

Shouldn't you spend more of your time focusing on how to get these people out of poverty - i.e. shut down Wal-Mart, fight for increased min. wages, better labour rights, lower student loans - instead of jars of peanut butter?


You say we should have more jobs, then say to shut down Wal Mart??? Wal Mart is the #1 employer in North America, plus they give benefits and pay raises above the minimum wage. It is always too easy to say "Wal Mart is t3h suck" but really they are no worse than any other big box chain employer and there are a million places that treat their employees much worse than Wal Mart does.

You say we should have more jobs, then say to shut down Wal Mart??? Wal Mart is the #1 employer in North America, plus they give benefits and pay raises above the minimum wage. It is always too easy to say "Wal Mart is t3h suck" but really they are no worse than any other big box chain employer and there are a million places that treat their employees much worse than Wal Mart does.

For every Walmart that opens, a lot of smaller local retailers close. Fact. I am not saying shut them down by legislation, I am saying support local shops instead of Walmart. I have only peeked inside a Walmart once, and have no intention of ever shopping there. Odious, charm-free barn-like shopping experience.

You say we should have more jobs, then say to shut down Wal Mart??? Wal Mart is the #1 employer in North America, plus they give benefits and pay raises above the minimum wage. It is always too easy to say "Wal Mart is t3h suck" but really they are no worse than any other big box chain employer and there are a million places that treat their employees much worse than Wal Mart does.

My dad works at Wal-Mart. The second half of your second sentence is false. Fact.

My dad works at Wal-Mart. The second half of your second sentence is false. Fact.
I'm looking it up right now, I can't find much info on pay raises, but it seems that there are employees that do make more than minimum wage. As for benefits, here is something from WalMart's US site.

http://www.walmartstores.com/GlobalWMStoresWeb/navigate.do?catg=605

These monster stores come in, undercut all the smaller businesses, and when they all go under, the prices creep up again. Walmart and its greeters can blow me..... I have no intention of shopping there.

I'm looking it up right now, I can't find much info on pay raises, but it seems that there are employees that do make more than minimum wage. As for benefits, here is something from WalMart's US site.

http://www.walmartstores.com/GlobalWMStoresWeb/navigate.do?catg=605

$8.65 is above minimum wage.

Now, support a family on that.

$8.65 is above minimum wage.

Now, support a family on that.

Yah that's modern day slavery.. The approved and gov. OK'd SLAVERY....

You'd think Wal-Mart corporation would be paying on min. $10 dollars + an hr., considering they rack up over $Millions in Profits!

Yah that's modern day slavery.. The approved and gov. OK'd SLAVERY....

You'd think Wal-Mart corporation would be paying on min. $10 dollars + an hr., considering they rack up over $Millions in Profits!

LOL

The highest paid non-management staff make barely 9.50, why do you think they make trillions in profits?

LOL

The highest paid non-management staff make barely 9.50, why do you think they make trillions in profits?

You know, I did shop there before, but after learning more about wal-mart profits, i'm gona do my best never to shop there again. Like Taller,Better noted, it's best to give the small shops the business even if it's a little more expensive.

$8.65 is above minimum wage.

Now, support a family on that.

Wal Mart isn't designed for supporting a family on. Just as a $300,000 per year job isn't designed for someone fresh out of college, or a high school student. With that said, I am sorry that your dad is working there. Has he thought about finding a new job, or a second one to accompany Wal Mart???

I work at Loblaws: After over 3 years and over 3000 hours of service I am making $9.25 per hour, minus union dues. Plus the maximum part time employees can work is 24 hours per week (full time positions are for managers only), since if you work more than that they have to pay you overtime, which they DO NOT want to do. So after 3 years, I'm looking at under $12,000 per year. Wal Mart where it is much easier to get 40 hours per week, at the $8.65 is equal to nearly $18,000 per year. Both suck, but at least one isn't desperately under the poverty line.

But Loblaws is unionized, so they can't be evil... :ohno:

Electrify, you have got to hit the pavement and look for a new job. You are getting screwed, blued and tattooed.

Electrify, you have got to hit the pavement and look for a new job. You are getting screwed, blued and tattooed.

I actually just landed a full time gig at McDonald's, since I'm finished school now. I'm hoping to still work Loblaws on Sundays though, cause I do get paid an extra $1.60 on that day thanks to my union (though ironically, it is eaten up by union dues anyways). I'm also hoping that between the two jobs I should have just enough money to afford to move out.

I hope people don't think I am necessarily in bed with big business here. It just annoys me when people single out Wal Mart as this big evil corporation cause they start off at minimum wage, aren't unionized, etc. In reality, most big box/chain stores are prety much the same, union or not.

If you want an evil place to work at, try Canada's Wonderland. They follow the bare minimum Ontario allows with labour laws (if memory serves me correctly, they actually diliberately break them), do not offer pay increases beyond the minimum wage - even for returning employees, and many employees report about being underpaid for their work. Oh, and "shitload" doesn't even begin to describe the money they bring in each year.

Well, as long as Canadians shop at Walmart, they have only themselves to blame if the Mom and Pop businesses close. Ditto for Home Depot, Indigo Books etc...Saving a buck, or the illusion of saving a buck is more important than supporting the little guy, but people should not complain when all the little guys are gone. I don't think there is anything wrong with shopping at these big places now and again, but I wish people would consider buying things from smaller independents a bit too.

I'm looking it up right now, I can't find much info on pay raises, but it seems that there are employees that do make more than minimum wage. As for benefits, here is something from WalMart's US site.

http://www.walmartstores.com/GlobalWMStoresWeb/navigate.do?catg=605

Of course someone who lives in Richmond Hill would care nothing about urban asthetic, but that's another thread.

Even if you "love" Wal-Mart - you shouldn't defend them. They suck their profits out of Canada and deliver them back to American shareholders - and one really really really rich family.

Shouldn't our government do everything in it's power to support and promote local business?

My way would be to create a tax system the levels the playing field - ie the larger the size of the store the higher the property taxes you pay. So a corner store would pay much lower taxes than a supermarket the size of a small town. It's the only way to make the system fair for everyone.

Richmond Hill - the landscape of nothingness.

Wal Mart isn't designed for supporting a family on. Just as a $300,000 per year job isn't designed for someone fresh out of college, or a high school student. With that said, I am sorry that your dad is working there. Has he thought about finding a new job, or a second one to accompany Wal Mart???

I work at Loblaws: After over 3 years and over 3000 hours of service I am making $9.25 per hour, minus union dues. Plus the maximum part time employees can work is 24 hours per week (full time positions are for managers only), since if you work more than that they have to pay you overtime, which they DO NOT want to do. So after 3 years, I'm looking at under $12,000 per year. Wal Mart where it is much easier to get 40 hours per week, at the $8.65 is equal to nearly $18,000 per year. Both suck, but at least one isn't desperately under the poverty line.

But Loblaws is unionized, so they can't be evil... :ohno:

BTW - do you work for Wal-Mart? You sound like you belong in their PR department.

Your "You shouldn't expect a livable wage from working for Wal-Mart" is crap.

Why shouldn't you expect to earn a livable wage from a store that sells consumer items that we all need? Clothing, food, drink, furniture?

If selling those items are frivolous - then what isn't?

I think selling consumer goods is a noble industry, making hamburgers is a noble endevour. It's McD's, Wal-Mart, etc that are trying to brainwash the public into believing that only the dumb, and lazy should consider their industry for employment.

Only a generation or two ago, the local merchant was an important person in our culture.

Seriously - why shouldn't you be able to make good money flipping burgers? selling vegetables? clothing people? selling tables?

Only reason to be against it - is because you want to make more money for shareholders - as simple as that.