Whitby’s city worker’s union donates to Feed the Need, calls for systemic change to address affordability crisis

Whitby | Durham | Oshawa | Latest News |

By

Published October 7, 2021 at 1:20 pm

CUPE Local 53, which represents more than 500 municipal workers in Whitby and Uxbridge, has donated $2,000 to Feed the Need Durham (FTND).

FTND is a local non-profit that has been distributing food to food-insecure people in Durham for more than 20 years. Each dollar donated equates to $7 of food distributed.

Demand for FTND’s services has increased 30 per cent since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, they’ve had to distribute 60 percent more food than average this year.

CUPE president Rob Radford said 14 per cent of Durham residents faced food insecurity, citing a government report from 2019. “Our union member have always believed that we should help the most marginalized members of our community.”

Radford called for all levels of government to make “major reforms” to labour law and the social safety net. “Charity is nice, but its benefits are limited. It’s not a solution to systemic problems.”

CUPE joins other community leaders in their support of Feed the Need, including Ontario Power Generation and Reckitt, who manufactures Lysol in Canada.

Feed the Need Durham accepts donations from anyone looking to help.

insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising