It’s alright for someone to say on a full belly

By Ivan Morgan

I volunteer at a local food bank. Technically it’s a pet food bank, giving folks food for their cats and dogs. This is about the level of desperation I am seeing in my community.

First let’s clear up a few things. The people I serve are not clients. Or recipients. Or any other label people use to categorize and distance themselves from others. The people I serve are people – my neighbours, fellow citizens and often friends.

The people I serve are not “them.” They are you and I, if life throws us a curve. They are us. In our case they are animal lovers.

The vast majority of the people I serve are lovely. Do some have issues? Sure. Substance issues? Mental issues? Physical issues? Absolutely. They are people and like us all they have issues. Different issues for sure but they all share one thing: need.

No one in this country should have to live in the cold. No one in this country should have to go hungry. There are all sorts of problems to be sorted out, but only after people are warm, dry and fed. There is way too many people in my community, and I suspect in yours, who are often cold and hungry. This will not do.
Bureaucrats and professionals love statistics, numbers. I hate numbers. I like people. I am going to share a few stories about people I have seen in the past few weeks. Tales, if you will, from the front lines.

A woman I served has just seen her government-subsidized “apartment” go up $400 a month. She is on a fixed income. She now gets to chose between rent, power or food. She can’t afford all three. All she has in this world is her beloved cat. We help her with that. She is getting sick because she is selling her meds on the street now for food money. (I use the word food because she can’t afford groceries).

An elderly man (I have a soft spot for them as I too am one) has nothing in his life but his dog, whom he dotes on. His rent has just gone up a few hundred. He now has to make the same tough choices. He’s worried about the dog’s health. He can’t afford dog food, let alone vet care.

A young woman tells me she is living in an abusive relationship but cannot move as she can’t find a place she can afford. She doesn’t want to live on the street this time of year.

All agree there is little in the way of real government help.

There are activists doing what they can, so I am putting my shoulder to that wheel this week to help them. Want to know more? Beyond homelessnessNL on TikTok is an excellent place to start. She’s out there trying. She’s my hero.

We read headlines saying food bank usage is up. That’s not the story. The story is people are struggling. Single moms, pensioners, people with disabilities. Rising prices are forcing people into hunger and cold. Food banks aren’t the story. They’re a symptom.

Like everything else in the world, there are good food banks and bad ones. One client spoke of a food bank she goes to. “I got a few tins, some noodles and a big side order of condescension.” Imagine being looked down on because you are hungry. It’s a funny old world.

We work hard to make the people who come to us feel welcome and appreciated. We offer some pet food and some understanding. People love their pets and for too many they are their only company. I have been told that people who cannot afford a pet shouldn’t have one. Said by people warm with full bellies.

Social workers put in regular workdays, with regular time and regular days off. They are paid. Survival, on the other hand, is a full time 24/7 proposition where the reward is… survival.

I am not a starry-eyed idealist. Are we always going to have a certain portion of our community who cannot cope, cannot be as hard-working and responsible as the rest of us? Folks who succumb to bad relationships, harmful substances and other damaging behaviour? Absolutely. My question to you is should they be cold? Should they be hungry? Should anyone?

Not sure? Think about your answer. If you don’t understand that ‘There but for the Grace of God go you and I,’ then I hope you don’t learn the answer the hard way.

Ivan Morgan can be reached at ivan.morgan@gmail.com