What a recipient is saying 

The Honorable Danielle Smith, 

Office of the Premier 

 

I am writing to you on behalf of the Alberta Food Rescue and Distribution, at 760 - 12 Street, Fort Macleod, Alberta (Box 551, Stavely, Alberta, T0L 1Z0) - non profit: 741523336RC0001.

 

I live amongst the communities that receive the food from Alberta Food Rescue and Distribution.

 

My husband and I receive support from this program and we see the value of this program in the communities it serves.

 

As a citizen of Alberta, I ask that they be provided funding through the new initiative of feeding Alberta as soon as possible as it is an emergent situation that they receive funding.

 

You may be aware that out of all 10 Canadian provinces, Alberta has the highest prevalence of food insecurity - over One Million Albertans, many of them  children, are food insecure. And Alberta's SEVERE food insecurity (6.3%) is also the highest rate in CANADA!

 

My husband and I are among the 30,000+ Albertans who are severely food insecure. We are two of an increasing number of vulnerable Albertans who have fallen through the cracks of Alberta's social safety net - we are Albertans who are forced to skip meals, cut meals, or go for days without eating.

 

Many are descending on an already strained Alberta health care system as the effects of malnourishment take hold. The influx of children filling Alberta's hospitals to capacity might be the canary in the coal mine. Alberta has already learned through Indian Residential Schools that children who are malnourished are more susceptible to illness and disease.

 

My husband and I are senior citizens. Someone from the pension office made a mistake which cut my husband's pension. When hubby submitted the  documents they demanded and asked how long would it be until they corrected their error,  he was taken aback at their response, 'We don't do anything fast.'

 

This I found to be true, as I'm still waiting on word about my pension application which was first approved then quickly denied. 'don't do anything fast' except when they decide to help themselves to senior citizen's pensions, that is. 

 

How do these people sleep at night?

 

Suddenly after a lifetime of work, we've found ourselves having just enough for rent, and not left over to  cover our bills - with no end in sight!

 

When this nightmare will end is totally dependent on the whims of a low level bureaucrat in the pensions office who's most likely vying for brownie points from his superiors... ... ... 'We don't do anything fast...'

 

I'm doing my part to stretch what groceries we have by eating one small meal a day. Hubby needs 2, he's hypoglycemic. The rest of the day, we sip on tea and water.

 

We used to be active, but we have no energy now.

 

To help make ends meet, we've cut our cable and phone line. We keep our lights turned off, reduce our water bill by taking sink baths and flush the toilet once a day. We also  keep our heat turned low, and we each have a blanket to bundle up in.

 

Yet, no matter what we do, the bills don't stop - they arrive even more frequently and their tone becomes even more insistent. My mental health's declining. Hubby's is too.

 

I reached out to the food banks in town, but they won't accommodate my husband's diet. His health conditions restrict him to a low FODMAP diet.

 

When I heard about a fresh food giveaway being hosted by the Food Bank at a local senior citizen's organization, I was elated. But when we arrived after working our Skip the Dishes shift, we were told they  handed out food for a total of 15 minutes, packed up  and left, leaving behind the signs that said they'd be there for 3 hours. I was devastated.

 

When I contacted the Food Bank on Facebook, they didn't care, but Jacquie of Alberta Food Rescue and Distribution did. She reached out,  and helped my husband and me when no one else would. I am exceptionally grateful for her assistance.

 

I can tell you, if it wasn't for Jacquie and Alberta Food Rescue and Distribution, I wouldn't be here today.

 

I recently heard the Social Services Minister had said the Government of Alberta supports the province’s most vulnerable. Yet, with 1 in 5 Albertans experiencing food insecurity, and over 30,000 Albertans like Hubby and me  experiencing severe food insecurity, I've found this is not the case.

 

If the Minister supports the province's most vulnerable, why is it that the Alberta Food Rescue and Distribution is at risk of shutting down?

 

When representatives of Alberta Food Rescue and Distribution approached the offices of the Premier and Alberta MLA's, the premier's office and the MLA's were silent and  aloof.

 

This close to Christmas, a funding refusal means over 400 palettes of food that volunteers worked tirelessly gathering for their neighbours in need, many of them children, will end up in a landfill - and over 10,000 Southern Albertans, many of them children, will go hungry this Christmas.

 

This is an emergent situation - the survival of thousands of Southern Albertans is dependent on the Alberta Food Rescue and Distribution. The survival of the Alberta Food Rescue and Distribution is dependent on you.

 

Will you step up for vulnerable Albertans and help out the Alberta Food Rescue and Distribution?

 

 

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