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Virtually all the 1,121 Syrian refugees in Ottawa who were sponsored by the Canadian government appear to be relying on food banks.
The two food banks near where most of the Syrians have settled report they are scrambling to meet demand, but it’s not a crisis.
The Ottawa Food Bank, which supplies groceries to food banks and meal programs throughout the city, says it can handle the situation, which represents a small surge in demand. The Food Bank helps feed 50,000 people a month.
But the rising price of food is making thing tougher, says executive director Michael Maidment. The Ottawa Food Bank is spending more to purchase groceries. And while donations have not declined, people whose own food budgets are strained tend to donate cheaper food items such as pasta, he said.
Since November, 1,516 Syrian refugees have arrived in Ottawa. The vast majority — 1,121 people — were brought in by the Canadian government.
Food banks in Gloucester and on Heron Road report they have provided groceries to around 1,150 Syrian refugees in the last few months. Most are government-sponsored refugees with large families relying on welfare-level monthly payments.
The refugees are grateful, and some are surprised, says Gwen Bouchard, executive co-ordinator at the Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard, which has registered 85 Syrian families, representing about 420 people.
Most of the refugees who fled civil war in Syria spent years living in squalid conditions in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. “They aren’t used to being treated so nicely by people,” says Bouchard. “This is not normal for them, to be so welcomed and to get all this help.”
But the desperate conditions they escaped might also have created a “survival mindset” among some refugees, says Lucila Spigelblatt, deputy executive director with the Catholic Centre for Immigrants. “You grab and hoard because you don’t know if tomorrow there will be any (food).”
Both settlement officers and volunteers say they are educating refugees about the role of food banks.
“They may not know, or understand, that this is to be shared by everyone in the community,” says Spigelblatt. Settlement officer encourage refugees to be self-sufficient. “You want them to be independent, yes, but in the meantime (some of them) are hungry.”
Put yourself in a refugee’s shoes, says the Catholic Immigration Centre’s executive director Carl Nicholson. They are told there is a food bank where they can get free groceries. Many are struggling to pay their rent and probably desperate to send money back to help relatives stuck in Syria or camps.
Nathan Baktash, one of the volunteers with the Islamic Society of Gloucester who has been helping the newcomers, says he makes sure they realize that Canadian have welcomed them in a way not seen by every wave of refugees.
They must help themselves by learning English or French, trying to get a job, and participating in Canadian culture, he said. “People have to participate in the day-to-day life so they can be a part of Canada. That’s the message I’m sending to the refugees.”
Everyone acknowledges the refugees need help.
Government-sponsored families typically subsist on about $1,500 a month, and some are not yet receiving the Canada Child Tax Benefits that would supplement their income. Their rents are often in the $1,200 range. “They’re really tight for money,” says Nicholson.
No one finds a trip to the food bank fun, says Louisa Simms, executive co-ordinator of the Heron Emergency Food Centre, which has served 125 Syrian families, representing 737 people. Families can visit once a month and are given enough food to last four people for three or four days.
The families usually have four or five children, and thank staff repeatedly, said Simms. “You can’t even imagine what they went through to get here. And then to come in and smile over getting three days’ worth of emergency food, and so happy to be in Canada.
“One guy, his daughter was born here, the first Canadian Syrian baby. Someone had donated a little book from the dollar store, that had one word on each page, about spring. I showed him how to read it, and he read it back to me. He was all proud, he was going to go home and read it to his daughter. They’re quick learners, and very happy, and very grateful.”
jmiller@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/JacquieAMiller
查看原文...
The two food banks near where most of the Syrians have settled report they are scrambling to meet demand, but it’s not a crisis.
The Ottawa Food Bank, which supplies groceries to food banks and meal programs throughout the city, says it can handle the situation, which represents a small surge in demand. The Food Bank helps feed 50,000 people a month.
But the rising price of food is making thing tougher, says executive director Michael Maidment. The Ottawa Food Bank is spending more to purchase groceries. And while donations have not declined, people whose own food budgets are strained tend to donate cheaper food items such as pasta, he said.
Since November, 1,516 Syrian refugees have arrived in Ottawa. The vast majority — 1,121 people — were brought in by the Canadian government.
Food banks in Gloucester and on Heron Road report they have provided groceries to around 1,150 Syrian refugees in the last few months. Most are government-sponsored refugees with large families relying on welfare-level monthly payments.
The refugees are grateful, and some are surprised, says Gwen Bouchard, executive co-ordinator at the Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard, which has registered 85 Syrian families, representing about 420 people.
Most of the refugees who fled civil war in Syria spent years living in squalid conditions in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. “They aren’t used to being treated so nicely by people,” says Bouchard. “This is not normal for them, to be so welcomed and to get all this help.”
But the desperate conditions they escaped might also have created a “survival mindset” among some refugees, says Lucila Spigelblatt, deputy executive director with the Catholic Centre for Immigrants. “You grab and hoard because you don’t know if tomorrow there will be any (food).”
Both settlement officers and volunteers say they are educating refugees about the role of food banks.
“They may not know, or understand, that this is to be shared by everyone in the community,” says Spigelblatt. Settlement officer encourage refugees to be self-sufficient. “You want them to be independent, yes, but in the meantime (some of them) are hungry.”
Put yourself in a refugee’s shoes, says the Catholic Immigration Centre’s executive director Carl Nicholson. They are told there is a food bank where they can get free groceries. Many are struggling to pay their rent and probably desperate to send money back to help relatives stuck in Syria or camps.
Nathan Baktash, one of the volunteers with the Islamic Society of Gloucester who has been helping the newcomers, says he makes sure they realize that Canadian have welcomed them in a way not seen by every wave of refugees.
They must help themselves by learning English or French, trying to get a job, and participating in Canadian culture, he said. “People have to participate in the day-to-day life so they can be a part of Canada. That’s the message I’m sending to the refugees.”
Everyone acknowledges the refugees need help.
Government-sponsored families typically subsist on about $1,500 a month, and some are not yet receiving the Canada Child Tax Benefits that would supplement their income. Their rents are often in the $1,200 range. “They’re really tight for money,” says Nicholson.
No one finds a trip to the food bank fun, says Louisa Simms, executive co-ordinator of the Heron Emergency Food Centre, which has served 125 Syrian families, representing 737 people. Families can visit once a month and are given enough food to last four people for three or four days.
The families usually have four or five children, and thank staff repeatedly, said Simms. “You can’t even imagine what they went through to get here. And then to come in and smile over getting three days’ worth of emergency food, and so happy to be in Canada.
“One guy, his daughter was born here, the first Canadian Syrian baby. Someone had donated a little book from the dollar store, that had one word on each page, about spring. I showed him how to read it, and he read it back to me. He was all proud, he was going to go home and read it to his daughter. They’re quick learners, and very happy, and very grateful.”
jmiller@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/JacquieAMiller
查看原文...
