At this joyous time of year, I ask that you appreciate how fortunate you are.
During the height of the pandemic the number of people facing food insecurity rose drastically, however now that we appear to be emerging from the worst of the pandemic the number of people facing food insecurity may be even higher.
Government assistance is no longer in place, in fact many are being told they must repay what they received, inflation is at the highest levels in a generation, many have not returned to the level of employment they had before the pandemic. People who never worried about how they would pay for their housing or groceries are now stressed.
Organizations like Hope House which offers services and programs that challenge the stigmas surrounding poverty and allow community members to maintain their dignity and choice, are seeing greater need for their services than ever before. Often from people who a short time ago would never have dreamed they would use their services.
Hope House is the organization that I predominately support but they are not the only one doing great work in our community, there are many others: the SEED, Royal City Mission, Food 4 Kids, Chalmers Community Services, Guelph Food Bank to name just a few. Find one whose mission and values you believe in, support them and be grateful that you can.