Join CAPRA downtown Red Deer on Oct 17th to shine a light on hunger.

Lloyd Lewis

Published

9 years ago

3 minute read

In the month of September the Red Deer Food Bank helped 1055 adults, 629 children, and 331 families.

Over 850,000 people in Canada use a food bank each month. More than one-third of those are children. One in eight families struggle daily to put food on the table. Two out of every five Northern households are food insecure.

On October 17th, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, volunteers across Canada are taking to the streets to participate in the fourth annual “ChewOnThis!” campaign. The campaign is organized by Dignity for All, an initiative co-led by Canada Without Poverty (CWP) and Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ), both registered charities. It is being locally organized by the Central Alberta Poverty Reduction Alliance (CAPRA).

“ChewOnThis!” events are being held by over 50 groups in more than 30 cities across the country – from Vancouver to St. John’s to Yellowknife – including Parliament Hill and in Toronto’s downtown core. Volunteers will be collectively handing out 22,000 brown paper bags containing a snack and information prompting people to consider the realities of poverty and food insecurity. They will also be calling for the voices of those with lived experience of poverty to be included in the forthcoming national anti-poverty plan and for the plan to be rooted in human rights.

In Red Deer, a group of people will be meeting downtown at the Ross Street Patio, on 50th St. between 49th Ave. and Little Gaetz at noon, until 1pm, to hand out healthy snacks and bring awareness to hunger in Central Alberta.

“Food is one of the first variables to come out of the budget when times are tough,” says Harrison Blizzard, CAPRA Food Security Action Committee Chair. “Most of us don’t realize how many people here in Central Alberta, individuals, children, and families, are going hungry.

Central Alberta Poverty Reduction Alliance, or CAPRA, is a group of people and organizations who work collaboratively to find local solutions and make a real difference on poverty. We have over 45 members and hundreds of community supporters advocating for social change that will improve opportunities for people experiencing poverty.
We work at the strategic level, taking a big-picture, long-term approach to have a collective, permanent impact on poverty.
Our job is to:

Educate the community about poverty related issues
Advocate to systems to reduce barriers that keep people trapped in cycles of poverty
Spark local action on poverty

Click here for more information.

Lloyd Lewis

www.todayville.com

President Todayville Inc., Honorary Colonel 41 Signal Regiment, Board Member Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Award Foundation, Director Canadian Forces Liaison Council (Alberta) musician, photographer, former VP/GM CTV Edmonton.

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Support local healthcare while winning amazing prizes!

Published on March 26, 2025

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Community

SPARC Caring Adult Nominations now open!

Published on March 24, 2025

SPARC Red Deer

Check out this powerful video, “Be a Mr. Jensen,” shared by Andy Jacks. It highlights the impact of seeing youth as solutions, not problems. Mr. Jensen’s patience and focus on strengths gave this child hope and success.

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