Canadians talk a lot about the food we eat but we don't talk a lot about hunger: Take a break from our food-crazed lives during Hunger Awareness Week, September 21 - 25, 2015
MISSISSAUGA, ON, Sept. 17, 2015 /CNW/ - This year during Hunger Awareness Week (September 21 – 25), Food Banks Canada will be interrupting our fascination with food to instead bring focus to hunger.
Canadians are obsessed with talking about the food we're cooking and the meals we're having. We discuss the restaurants we're going to or want to visit with wild excitement. We photograph our food and share it on social media channels. Every day, close to ten thousand Canadians use hashtags like #food, #nomnomnom, #yummy and #foodie*. By comparison, #endhunger and #hunger are used on average less than 400 times a day*.
Yet, as the foodie movement continues to gain momentum, so too does hunger in this country. During any given week, more than 200,000 Canadians visit food banks, including almost 70,000 children**. Food banks usage has increased by 25 per cent over the last seven years.
What if hunger had its own voice?
To help bring attention to this important issue, hunger will have its own voice on Twitter during Hunger Awareness Week. Using the handle @CanadianHunger, the voice of hunger will interact with food-obsessed Canadians in an effort to break through food-related discussions. Follow the conversation at #TweetsOfHunger.
To bring further focus to the hunger issue, Food Banks Canada will also be releasing a sharable 30-second video featuring the everyday challenges of a food insecure family https://youtu.be/ru3AFJD1LxU.
"Food Banks Canada is taking a new approach to Hunger Awareness Week this year," says Katharine Schmidt, Executive Director, Food Banks Canada. "With food-related conversation being abundant on social media channels, we recognized an opportunity to help the voice of hunger be considered in this busy space. We are asking Canadians to stop and take a moment out of their food-crazed lives to consider the other side of things: hunger. Together, Canadians can make an impact on the solvable issue of hunger and find solutions in communities across the country."
Food banks across the country will be supporting Hunger Awareness Week by inviting community residents and businesses to participate in local events and activities.
The National Hunger Awareness Week campaign was developed and will be supported by PRAXIS. Studio M produced the program's video content.
About Hunger Awareness Week
Hunger Awareness Week (hungerawarenessweek.ca) was created in 2006 to provide food banks with an opportunity to educate about the reality of hunger in Canada and to encourage all Canadians to make a choice to help those in need. This is the first year that Hunger Awareness Week is being held in September. Together, Canadians can make an impact on the solvable issue of hunger in Canada. Follow the conversation at #HungerWeek.
About Food Banks Canada
Food Banks Canada supports a unique network of over 3,000 food-related organizations in every province and territory that assists close to 850,000 Canadians each month. Together our network shares over 200 million pounds of essential safe quality food annually, provides social programs that help to foster self-sufficiency, and advocates for policy change that will help create a Canada where no one goes hungry. Follow Food Banks Canada at Facebook.com/FoodBanksCanada and @FoodBanksCanada.
*Canadian statistics, based on hashtag use as determined by Sysomos.com, analysis July 2015. Hunger could include non-hunger issue related hunger mentions as well.
**Source: HungerCount 2014, Food Banks Canada. For the complete 2014 HungerCount report please go to foodbankscanada.ca/hungercount.
SOURCE Food Banks Canada
Video with caption: "Video: Hunger Awareness Week 2015 #HungerWeek". Video available at: https://youtu.be/ru3AFJD1LxU
Image with caption: "Hunger Awareness Week - Let's Bring Some Focus to Hunger (CNW Group/Food Banks Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150917_C4039_PHOTO_EN_499393.jpg
Media Contacts: Karen Krugel / Shauna Marshall, PRAXIS, [email protected] / [email protected], Office: 905-949-8255 x 238 / x 232, Cell: 416-559-9200 / 647-502-4600
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