Food Banks Canada launches campaign that asks Canadians to Pledge to Say No to Hunger

Campaign highlights the root causes of hunger and pragmatic solutions

TORONTO, Jan. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Food Banks Canada is launching a new campaign today aimed at raising awareness of hunger in Canada, and specifically the root causes of the issue. Millions of Canadians struggle to get enough food to eat, and many of them are turning to food banks for assistance. The campaign's goal is to educate the public around this complex issue and to ask all Canadians to take a pledge to Say No to Hunger.

The awareness campaign will launch with a national Public Service Announcement that draws attention to the fact that many Canadians are being passed over and that hunger is a symptom of other issues such as unemployment, sudden illness and child poverty. The campaign also wants to inspire Canadians to make a difference by signing the online pledge at www.SayNoToHunger.ca.

According to Food Banks Canada's HungerCount 2011 report, approximately 851,000 Canadians are helped by a food bank each month. And two years after the end of the 2008-09 recession, the number of people assisted remains 26% higher than before it began. The annual survey shows that hunger affects people from all walks of life, and further illustrates the need to understand how so many find themselves walking through the door of a food bank.

"It's shocking that so many Canadians - adults and children, families and individuals, don't have access to enough food, and in a country with such an abundance of resources like Canada, this is truly unacceptable", says Katharine Schmidt, Executive Director, Food Banks Canada. "With this campaign, we want to show the impact that hunger has in communities across the country and to inspire the public to join us in finding solutions to this solvable problem."

The campaign also emphasizes a number of practical recommendations developed by Food Banks Canada to reduce hunger across the country. To learn more about the root causes of hunger and solutions visit www.SayNoToHunger.ca, watch the video and sign the online pledge.

About Food Banks Canada
Food Banks Canada is the national charitable organization representing the food bank community across Canada. Our Members, Affiliate Member food banks, and their respective agencies serve approximately 85% of people accessing emergency food programs nationwide. We continue to work to find short term and long term solutions for the close to 900,000 Canadians who are assisted by a food bank every month. Visit www.foodbankscanada.ca to find out more.

www.saynotohunger.ca
www.foodbankscanada.ca

SOURCE Food Banks Canada

Video with caption: "Video: Say No to Hunger. Food Banks Canada's PSA". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20120131_C7219_VIDEO_EN_9367.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20120131_C7219_PHOTO_EN_9367.jpg&clientName=Food%20Banks%20Canada&caption=Video%3A%20Say%20No%20to%20Hunger%2E%20%20Food%20Banks%20Canada%27s%20PSA&title=FOOD%20BANKS%20CANADA%20%2D%20Say%20No%20to%20Hunger%2E%20%20Food%20Banks%20Canada%27s%20PSA&headline=Food%20Banks%20Canada%20launches%20campaign%20that%20asks%20Canadians%20to%20Pledge%20to%20Say%20No%20to%20Hunger

Image with caption: "Say No to Hunger Print Ad (CNW Group/Food Banks Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120131_C7219_PHOTO_EN_9324.jpg