Letter to the Editor - Poverty and the Election

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Letter to the Editor - Poverty and the Election from Nancy Wright-Laking (Chair of the Board, Central Food Network)

This Letter to the Editor was submitted to the following newspapers prior to the February 27th, Provincial Election: ​The Highlander, Haliburton Echo, and Bancroft this Week

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To the Editor:

I have written this letter to the editor that I hope you might include in your next publication.  With the election very shortly, I thought I should mention some items that people might want to keep in mind when selecting a candidate.


As the provincial election nears, I ask that voters in Ontario think about the candidate that will consider the poverty that exists in our community and throughout Ontario.


I am on the Board of Directors for Central Food Network (CFN), a not-for-profit charity that:
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• Runs two food banks in Highlands East - one in Wilberforce, the other in Cardiff. 
• Shares food with Minden Food Bank and North Hasting Cupboard when available. 
• Runs Heat Bank Haliburton, which provides emergency heating for residents throughout Haliburton County. 
• Run income tax clinics throughout Haliburton to help those with modest income submit income tax returns on time and thus be able to access benefits that come through filing income tax.  
• Help individuals navigate the various agencies to get hydro rebates, stop hydro disconnections and other benefits available throughout the County and Province.  
• Has a Community Cooks program that makes and freezes thousands of meals a year which are distributed through the food banks.  

CFN does all of this without any ongoing government funding. We have been successful in getting some project specific grants from various governments but no government funding is provided to feed or help keep warm the many individuals that we see monthly at our food banks or heat banks.  We rely on the generosity of our community and the fundraising efforts of the organization to feed and keep warm individuals in Haliburton.  It frightens me that the ability for someone to eat is dependent on how successful we are as an organization to raise money!
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We have seen an incredible increase in need in services provided by CFN. 

​The use of the food banks we run has increased 52.5% from 2021 (an average of 241 people per month in 2024 versus 158 per month in 2021).  Some of the clients are working families that are made to choose between eating and rent.  Use of Heat Bank Haliburton had a record 50 calls for help in January alone (the most ever in a single month). This is becoming a crisis in Ontario.

​Ontario needs to make a commitment to erase poverty in Ontario.  Individuals need to make a living wage so that they can afford housing, food and heat.  As the use of food banks and heat banks and need for affordable housing has only increased in the last 5 plus years, it is crucial that the government that we elect be responsive and responsible for these very basic personal rights.  I ask that you please consider this as you vote in the provincial election this month.

From,
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Nancy Wright-Laking
Chair of the Board, Central Food Network
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A provincial election is being held on Thursday, February 27th, 2025. For information on how to vote, please visit the Elections Ontario Website.

Elections Ontario

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Feed Ontario Voting Info: Your vote matters. Learn more about what each party is promising, and join us to call on all candidates to take steps to protect Ontarians when hard times hit. Vote to prioritize people.

Feed Ontario Website

The Central Food Network is a proud member of Feed Ontario.

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New Year Off to a Rapid Start​: Across all of our programs we are seeing an increased need for support.

January CFN Statistics

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