Children and Foodbanks

I gave the following members statement on February 28, 2024:

At the beginning of 2024, the North Dartmouth Outreach Resource Centre Society, one of Dartmouth North’s local food banks, posted a sobering figure to its Facebook page. In 2023, the average number of children served by the food bank went up to 70 in 2023 from 31 in 2022. Even more sobering is that the average number of children served by the food bank in both 2021 and 2020 was 15. 

That means that today, the North Dartmouth Outreach Resource Centre alone is serving 55 more children than they were three years ago. They’re just one of the many food banks in Dartmouth North, and of course the province, that is serving the people bearing the brunt of the affordability crisis. Nova Scotia has the highest child poverty rate in Atlantic Canada, and approximately one in four kids in Nova Scotia don’t get enough to eat every day. There are so many things we can and must do to reduce and eliminate child poverty, some of which we have proposed in this Legislature. 

I hope that every member in this House can commit themselves this session to working toward a world where no family has to rely on a food bank to feed their children.

Dartmouth North Mobile Food Market

I gave the following members statement in the Nova Scotia Legislature on February 27:

Speaker, people in Dartmouth North now have another option for buying low-cost produce. The Mobile Food Market has set up a permanent location in Saint Anthony Church at 26 Courtney Road.

The Mobile Food Market has transformed this space into a warm and welcoming spot. Tables are arranged in rows and on market days the produce is laid out in bins on the tables. Shoppers move up and down the rows, pick what they need, and pay at the cash register. The market is open each Tuesday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and takes cash, credit and debit. There’s also an area to sit, have a cup of coffee or tea and a chat, and a kids’ corner with lots of fun activities for the little ones.

Since opening on January 23rd, there has been a consistent turnout of about 80 people each week.

As we see the cost of everything go up, especially groceries, the timing of this new market couldn’t be better. I ask the House to join me in extending congratulations and thanks to the Mobile Food Market for this much-needed service in Dartmouth North.

12 Days of Giving Food Drive in Crichton Park

On March 23 I was pleased to rise in the Nova Scotia Legislature to recognize Natasha Beuree-Edwards and the residents of Crichton Park for their 12 Days of Giving food drive. This is what I said:

"Mr. Speaker, Crichton Park in Dartmouth North is a generous community, a fact that has been on full display during the last three annual 12 Days of Giving organized by resident Natasha Beuree-Edwards.

Natasha started the 12 Days of Giving food drive in November 2020 to address food insecurity in the early days of the pandemic. That first year, the drive garnered just under 2,000 donated items. The success continued into December 2021 and 2022, with people donating between a 1,000 and 2,000 food items each of those years. A play on the 12 Days of Christmas, Natasha shared a suggested food item for her neighbours to donate for 12 days, and at the end, everything was collected and delivered to Christ Church Food Bank, where the food items were used in the Christmas hamper program.

I ask the house to join me in thanking Natasha and the residents of Crichton Park for their generosity and their effort to address food insecurity in Dartmouth."