As we take a look back and reflect on 2023 into 2024, we learned a lot from our past seasonal organization: Halifax and Dartmouth Community Fridges.
We once again, learned that donating is a small short-term band aid to a much larger issue. Food insecurity in Nova Scotia has increased significantly, with the poverty rate rising from 8.6% to 13.1% between 2021 and 2022 - making it the highest among provinces. We see headlines reported that 'People are struggling" with almost 1 in 4 Nova Scotians experiencing food insecurity. Approximately 28.9% of Nova Scotians are now food insecure, the highest provincial rate in Canada.
Food is a human right. We need to acknowledge how food insecurity impacts individuals in our community - which have been present, are still present, and won't be changing in the near future if we do not continue to learn, unlearn and advocate and support our community. Placing blame and "othering" can be quite a common stance in society.. we must change and challenge this narrative.
What can we continue to do?
- Support and care for folks already doing the work (it is run by volunteers).
- Donate your time by volunteering. You can run a community or workplace donation to the fridge (e.g. thanksgiving donation drive).
- Donate money (if possible) directly to the fridge.
- Read the requested items that are appropriate for the pantry/fridge.
- Acknowledge and educate yourself on current issues of food insecurity present within our community.
- Decrease stigma of accessing community fridges.
- Share Community Fridge posts on social media platforms - like or comment to increase the chances of more folks seeing their post.
- Spread the factual information you've learned to your friends, family, and neighbours. Build awareness by listening to lived experiences.
- Make waves, swim upstream, disrupt, take action. Check Community Fridge resources to see how you can do this.
We want to thank YOU for making our 2023-2024 donation possible. 15% of your purchase went towards:
Online Donation: $362.78
Groceries: $540.73
Wishlist Items: $112.32
TOTAL = $1,015.83
What is a Community Fridge?
At their core, Community Fridges are a grassroots mutual aid initiative aimed at tackling food insecurity by providing barrier-free access to fresh nourishing food 24/7. Anyone can access these fridges and users do not need to identify who they are, disclose reasons for their need, when or how often they access the fridge. Take what you need, leave if you can.
This initiative is volunteer-run. Created BY the community FOR the community - stock is based on food or monetary donations.
Nova Scotia Department of Finance - Statistics
'People are struggling': Almost 1 in 4 Nova Scotians are food insecure, data shows | CBC News
N.S. saw highest rates of poverty, food insecurity among provinces in 2022 | CBC News
