More and more Northerners are turning to food banks to sustain themselves. PSAC North has pledged to assist food banks and the families they support through the Healthy Apple Campaign.
How it works
It’s as easy as one, two, three!
1. Local food banks inform PSAC volunteers what food items they need.
2. PSAC volunteers label those items on grocery store shelves.
3. Shoppers pick up labeled food items and donate them to the food bank.
How you can help
Volunteer
Here’s what you could do:
- check with the food bank regularly to ask what food items they need
- display posters and Healthy Apple tags at grocery stores
- transport collected items from the grocery store to the food bank
- help the food bank/soup kitchen
Contact PSAC North to join the Healthy Apple campaign in your community.
Donate
Support your local food bank through regular donations or shopping for Healthy Apple labeled items.
Join the program
If you work at a Northern food bank and would like to join the Healthy Apple Campaign, contact Theresa Baird bairdt@psac-afpc.com.
Thanks for your support!
Food crisis in the North
Northern food prices rise twice as fast as rest of Canada. According to Statistics Canada, Nunavut has the highest food prices in all of the country.
The Liberal government provided $40 million over four years to the Nutrition North program. They also promised to work with northern communities to ensure the program is transparent, effective, and accountable.
Government subsidies included, a family of four spends on average $400 per week for groceries. Many weeks, grocery costs will skyrocket above $600. The Canadian average is $114 per week.
Children and seniors are the most impacted. Of the nearly 5,000 people who use food banks in the North, 47% of users are children. More than 30% are senior citizens.
The food crisis continues to worsen. Since just last year, another 1,100 people have turned to food banks.