World Food Day

16 10 2010

October 16 is World Food Day. This year, the theme of the day is “united against hunger”.

We are fortunate in Canada to be among the world’s healthiest populations and producers of significant amounts of food. From grains to fish, our ability to draw from the land and waters is abundant. Still, we have our own problems with hunger. Many find this surprising, but we nonetheless have a sizeable number of people in this country who do not get adequate food on a regular basis. Food banks, hot meal programs, community gardens, and various public health and community initiatives are aimed at this food insecurity problem. Here in Hamilton, local farmers and concerned donors have joined in the battle against hunger. Hamilton Food Share was out in those fields today, receiving freshly-harvested carrots destined for food banks in the coming days. Increasing the amount of fresh food available to food bank users is just one of the challenges facing local service providers.

In coming weeks Karen will be working with the Hamilton Community Foundation to support a community initiative aimed at bringing enhanced nutrition and food intake to local schools. Hunger hits children particularly hard, negatively affecting their development and learning. More than 8,000 children use local food banks despite breakfast programs and school nutrition initiatives. Watch for future updates about the local food insecurity landscape and the Hamilton Community Foundation initiative.

Of interest, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization has a world hunger map indicating levels of food insecurity and hunger around the globe. With the exception of Australia and New Zealand, the current map shows the entire southern hemisphere as being hungry to varying degrees. North of the equator, parts of Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, China, the Middle East and Southeast Asia are indicated on the map as experiencing some level of hunger but nowhere in North America, Europe, Scandinavia, Japan, or the rest of Asia.

For more information, visit www.fao.org.

To support local food banks, go to: www.hamiltonfoodshare.org. Every $1 in donations raises $5 in food. To support the Hamilton Community Foundation, go to: www.hcf.on.ca.

You can add your name to the worldwide anti-hunger petition by going to: www.1billionhungry.org.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : community development, EnMark Associates, poverty, research

Vital Signs

12 10 2010

The 2010 Hamilton’s Vital Signs report paints a picture of Hamilton that is described by the Hamilton Community Foundation as “two cities that share the same urban boundary but little else. One city is an archipelago of affluent neighbourhoods with healthy, well-educated residents enjoying an enviable quality of life. The other city concentrates shocking levels of poverty, curtailed education, high unemployment and ill health into poor neighbourhoods that might as well be on a different planet”.

The Foundation calls on us for compassion, outrage and action in response to neighbourhood disparities, poor voter turnout, the need for a “living wage”, growing domestic violence, and child poverty (among other identified trends and issues).

This is required reading for anyone with an interest in bettering the community, predicting future prospects, or engaging more actively in civic life (there’s a great list of things you can do to help). As a city, we’ve come a long way. But as a community emboldened for the future we have considerable work still to do.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : community development, EnMark Associates, poverty, research

On the road for Connections…

15 09 2010

Karen will be facilitating four regional sessions for Connections this month, beginning in St. John’s on September 17th. These sessions will bring together service providers and policymakers for a full day of knowledge exchange about women with substance use issues. Results from Connections’ recent meta-analysis will be shared with participants, who will then inform knowledge exchange planning and strategies to be pursued by researchers during the next phase of Connections’ work. The goal of Connections research is to improve services for women with substance use issues and their children in Canada.  

Scheduled sessions: 

  • Friday, September 17 – St. John’s, Newfoundland
  • Thursday, September 23 – Vancouver, BC
  • Friday, September 24 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
  • Friday, October 1 – Ottawa, Ontario

The Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) provided $1.4 million in funding over 5 years for Connections research. The objective is to identify the research needs of nearly 800 agencies working with women who have substance use issues across Canada, and to then develop, implement and evaluate knowledge translation and exchange strategies.  

Connections spokesperson, Alison Niccols, says “findings will help improve services, reduce costs (in terms of crime, unemployment, neonatal intensive care, etc.), and ultimately improve the health of a vulnerable, marginalized population of women and children at high risk for poor outcomes”. The research is timely, she points out, given that substance abuse during pregnancy has been identified as a major public health concern. At least 24,000 Canadians under the age of 21 have Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and the annual cost to Canadians is more than $344 million according to Connections. 

 

  

Maternal use of alcohol and other drugs can have profound effects on child health and development. Many women who continue to abuse substances after childbirth have challenging life circumstances, including lack of affordable housing, diminished capacity for parenting, and difficulties providing stable, nurturing environments for their children. 

  

Led by researchers from McMaster University and McMaster Children’s Hospital, the Connections project involves collaboration among researchers from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the University of Toronto, the University of Western Ontario, and the University of British Columbia.   

For more information: www.connectionscanada.ca 


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : community development, crime and violence, EnMark Associates, research, travel

Connections – if you work with women who have substance abuse issues…

5 09 2010

I will be facilitating four regional networking sessions across Canada later this month for Connections, a knowledge exchange network for agencies serving women with substance abuse issues.

“The goal of Connections research is to improve services for women with substance use issues and their children in Canada. Children born to women who used substances during pregnancy are at greater risk for health and developmental problems. Women who continue to use substances after childbirth may have diminished capacity for parenting and have their own social and health problems” (from the Connections web site).

If you work in the substance abuse field, and particularly with women, check out the Connections web site and watch for us in St. John’s, Ottawa, Saskatoon and Vancouver.

www.connectionscanada.ca


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , ,
Categories : community development, EnMark Associates, research, technology

Child abuse – be informed

5 09 2010

Helpful and important information, research and insights about child abuse prevention, education and treatment from the Community Child Abuse Council of Canada: Spring 2010 Leadership Briefing. See the full series at www.childabusecouncil.on.ca.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : child abuse, community development, EnMark Associates, research, volunteers

Thank a volunteer this Labour Day weekend

4 09 2010

As we follow the news about Hurricane Earl hitting our friends in the east, and the quake in New Zealand, I am reminded of the many volunteers who will undoubtedly be springing into action to help out once the dangers have cleared. We are blessed in Canada with a volunteer workforce that not only responds when tragedy strikes, but contributes in countless ways to the very fabric of our nation on a daily basis. Many extend their services to faraway locales, and have been part of the efforts to make a difference in places like the Mississippi gulf area, Haiti and tsunami-ravaged communities in southeast Asia.

As you mark this Labour Day weekend, please remember to thank a volunteer. They don’t get paid for what they do, but they labour on our behalf nonetheless. And we are all better for their efforts.

For a fascinating and provoking discussion about the state of volunteerism in this country, check out the Graff-Reed Conversations and explore their groundbreaking revelations (Canada: Who Cares?) at www.canadawhocares.ca.   

p.s. Kudos to the volunteers working hard at Burlington’s RibFest this weekend – from what I saw yesterday the rain hasn’t dampened any spirits and Rotary can once again look forward to a successful event.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , ,
Categories : community development, EnMark Associates, research, volunteers

Next Entries »