1. World Hunger  Hunger is a term which has three meanings (Oxford English Dictionary 1971)  the uneasy or painful sensation caused by want of food; craving appetite. Also the exhausted condition caused by want of food  the want or scarcity of food in a country  a strong desire or craving

2. In the Asian, African and Latin American countries, well over 500 million people are living in what the World Bank has called "absolute poverty"  The World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the world is well-fed, one-third is under-fed one-third is starving-

3. In the U.S. hunger and race are related. In 1991 46% of African-American children were chronically hungry, and 40% of Latino children were chronically hungry compared to 16% of white children.

4. Hunger in Canada In 2009, food bank use has nearly reached the record levels experienced in 2004, and is 10% higher than 10 years ago. 794,738 Canadians use food banks every month. This figure rose 18% from 2008 which is the largest year-over-year increase on record. 37% of those are children and youth. Food Banks in Canada: Food banks began over 30 years ago as a short term solution to hunger. Now, they are a necessary supplement to Canada's broken safety net. There are currently over 3700 food banks and related agencies operating in nearly 550 communities across Canada that need our help.

5. A Few Words About Food Banks Who do Food Banks Serve? The vast majority of food bank clients are people who have bills to pay and families to feed and are finding it extremely difficult to make ends meet. - The number of working poor who use food banks in 2009 is 19% - More than 50% of food bank clients receive social assistance which does not cover basic needs; - 13% of food bank clients receive disability support that is not enough for sufficient and adequate food; - 5.5% of food bank clients are seniors. The Harsh Reality Most food banks allow only one visit per month, providing only a 3 to 4-day supply of food. Programs that provide breakfast and lunch for children at school, run only Monday through Friday and are not able to meet the nutritional needs of children on week-ends or over the summer. - Almost 50% of adult food bank recipients plan to miss meals as a budget strategy. - In 21% of cases, children are forced to miss meals as a budget strategy. Parents will, however, do whatever they can to protect their children from hunger.

6. Government Policy and an Anti-Hunger Strategy Food banks and food assistance programs are only a Band-Aid solution. The degree of hunger in Canada represents a significant shortcoming in our country’s social policy and we must remind our political leaders of their responsibilities in this area. - Affordable safe housing; - A welfare system that addresses social needs; - A minimum wage and taxation system that enables hard working Canadians to have enough to provide for basic needs. What we needed is an anti-hunger strategy that examines this tragedy and addresses it with responsible solutions. Why should we support Food Banks? Why should we support Band-Aid solutions like food banks? Because these social injustices cannot be remedied overnight. Tonight, though, many thousands of Canadians will go to bed hungry. And it is their needs that we, as human beings, must be concerned about.