[youtube _hkKndoXJdc]
Hunger. It’s one of the world’s most crippling pandemics, and it’s not just limited to Africa or Asia. Even here, in Canada, one of the wealthiest nations in the world, over 900,000 people use the food bank as their source of food each month. The most disconcerting fact is that this hunger epidemic affects all demographics; children, who make up 25% of the Canadian population, make up 38% of food bank users; single parent families account for 31% of food bank usage; 15% of food bank users come from working families; and 36% of recent immigrants face the life of a low income job and inability to feed themselves.
However, these people are not alone. The aforementioned food banks do alleviate much of the pressure; however, food banks can’t just magically conjure up food – they need support and donations. This is where Shaw Communications and Campbell’s Canada come into the picture. Partnering up, the two have released a YouTube video highlighting some of the issues behind hunger in Canada. With each view on the YouTube video before May 11, 2012, Shaw and Campbell’s will donate $1 and one pound of food to the food bank, respectively, up to a maximum of $250,000 and 250,000 pounds of food.
I actually love this campaign – some may argue that is a form of slacktivism and that people aren’t actually doing anything. The difference here is that there is more than just awareness being raised; each view actually makes a tangible contribution to the campaign. Hunger is a serious issue, one that should be solved globally in my mind, and hey, if we can start locally, it’s a start, and making a difference in these people’s lives would not require much effort. So share this video. Put it on Facebook, Tweet about it, if you want, you can probably Instagram a screenshot! Point is, sharing this video, one way or another, will raise food and money for those who need it the most in Canada.
