Government of Canada supporting the food security of Eastern Township families

SHERBROOKE, QC, March 8, 2021 /CNW/ - Today, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Marie-Claude Bibeau, along with the Member of Parliament for Sherbrooke, Élisabeth Brière, hosted a virtual meeting with the Breakfast Club of Canada and the Centre d'action bénévole de la MRC de Coaticook. During the meeting, Minister Bibeau announced nearly $120,000 in federal funding for eight organizations that help ensure food security in the region.

In response to the pandemic, the Government of Canada is providing wage subsidies to help keep workers employed, and emergency benefits for those who have lost income due to the pandemic. Despite this, food banks are facing a significant increase in demand, while donations and volunteers become increasingly scarce. With this in mind, the federal government has injected $200 million into the network of food security organizations across the country and has also bought back and distributed $50 million worth of surplus food. 

To date, the following Eastern Townships' organizations have shared nearly $120,000 from the Emergency Food Security Fund:

• Centre d'action bénévole de la MRC de Coaticook – $18,892
• Centre d'action bénévole R.H. Rediker Volunteer Center (Stanstead) – $1,510
• La Cuisine Amitié de la MRC des Sources – $20,000
• Lennoxville & District Community Aid – $15,000
• Les Tabliers en folie (Richmond) – $5,000
• Moisson Haut-Saint-François – $33,390
• Oeuvre de Bienfaisance de Valcourt – $5,500
• Sercovie Inc. (Sherbrooke) – $20,000

These organizations used the funding to purchase, transport and distribute food and other basic necessities to meet the emergency needs of the most vulnerable people. The funds were also used to hire temporary help to cope with volunteer shortages and to introduce measures to help keep workers, volunteers and recipients safe.

Funding under the Emergency Food Security Fund was divided between Food Banks Canada, Second Harvest, Community Food Centres Canada, Breakfast Club of Canada, Salvation Army, and La Tablée des Chefs, which in turn distribute support to regional agencies that have established distribution networks for providing food to those in need.

Quotes 

"Assistance for food banks is essential, particularly during a pandemic. However, our government understands the importance of ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to earn a living and feed their families in dignity. That's why we created the Canada child benefit and the Canada workers benefit (for low-income workers), and why we have focused on wage subsidies and emergency benefits."
-       The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food 

"The pandemic has heightened food security concerns for many Quebecers. At the same time, food banks and local food organizations are facing more demand and fewer resources. This support helped organizations in the Eastern Townships region overcome challenges so they could provide better access to healthy food during this crisis, while also putting measures in place to help keep our communities safe. Their services have been crucial over the past year, and we thank them very much for their dedication."
-       Élisabeth Brière, Member of Parliament for Sherbrooke 

"In the early stages of the pandemic, the Breakfast Club of Canada team understood that it had to move quickly in order to reach the growing number of children and families facing food insecurity in Canada. I applaud the leadership of Minister Bibeau and her team at the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food, who worked closely with us to ensure that we could intervene in these difficult times. We have thus been able to ease the burden of insecurity that weighs on the shoulders of so many children and families and replace it with hope and smiles."
-       Daniel Germain, President and Founder, Breakfast Club of Canada

Quick Facts

• According to Statistics Canada, one in seven Canadians indicated that they live in a household where there was food insecurity over a one-month period during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• This funding is part of the $200 million Emergency Food Security Fund, which has so far supported more than 3,000 local initiatives across Canada.
• In addition, the Government launched the $50 million Surplus Food Rescue Program, which aimed to move surplus food commodities through the food system as efficiently as possible to help vulnerable Canadians. 
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is also delivering the Local Food Infrastructure Fund, a $50-million, five-year program under the Food Policy for Canada, aimed at community–based, not-for-profit organizations. The fund's objective is to strengthen food systems and to facilitate access to safe and nutritious food for at-risk populations.

Additional links

• Emergency Food Security Fund
• Surplus Food Rescue Program
• Local Food Infrastructure Fund

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SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Jean-Sébastien Comeau, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, [email protected], 343-549-2326; Media Relations, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, 613-773-7972, 1-866-345-7972, [email protected]