Do I pay my rent or do I eat?

Do I pay my rent or do I eat? Do I pay for electricity or do I pay for gas? Do I pay for food or do I pay for feminine hygiene products? Those were Victoria’s* choices. The 31-year-old single mother and her son had just moved to Richmond on an advance provided by her employers – a family who needed daycare for their daughter. She had $1,200 to last till the middle of January and $1,150 of that had gone to rent. Victoria found herself somewhere she never thought she’d be. “When I walked into the Food Bank, Janice didn’t even question why I was there, she was like hey, you’re a new person and we’re here to help,” Victoria says of her first trip to the Richmond Food Bank. Over the next year, she would return again and again and her friendship with Janice grew. As Executive Director of Richmond Family Place, Janice Lambert sees a lot of families like Victoria’s. That’s because almost 22% of children under 18 in female lone-parent families were living in poverty in BC in 2013. In Richmond, poverty is hidden. “There are pockets of housing within Richmond where families on a low income are, but it’s not just one neighbourhood. It’s scattered,” Janice says. So agency programs must go where families are. Richmond Family Place offers two early learning programs and an evening dinner program at the Richmond Food Bank where she met Victoria as well as at their main location in Central Richmond. “Many families are working two or three jobs and they couldn’t come to Richmond Family Place so we went there and the program is a roaring success. United Way made that possible,” Janice says. Moving people from poverty to possibility happens in many different ways sometimes through direct support to a program or helping agencies keep their doors open. United Way provides what’s called core funding to help the Richmond Family Place keep the lights and heat on, computers running, the internet accessible and insurance paid so they can offer programs where they are needed. In 2013/14 United Way invested $1,900,000 in Richmond and Delta and helped almost 22,000 children, families and seniors through 52 organizations like Richmond Family Place. “Places like this are great because you know that you are not alone,” Victoria says. Richmond Family Place helped Victoria through the ups and downs of the last few years. It also helped her become more self-confident. A new report, published by United Way, looks at the important role food plays above and beyond nutrition. Let’s Eat shows that gathering together to share a meal is healthy, grows friendships and builds stronger communities. Victoria and her son continue to attend the Play & Learn Drop-in and Dinner on Wednesday nights.  

Resources:

Food plays an important role in developing friendship and building stronger communities – Let’s Eat Report Richmond’s population has grown by 50% over the past two decades. Learn more about Richmond  – Richmond Community Profile Could you make the month if you were living at the poverty line? Take the test and learn about the difficult choices people have to make every month  – www.makethemonth.ca   Help move families from poverty to possibility. Please give generously.