Six months ago, Andrea lived in Ecuador, where her family owned a fruit and vegetable processing plant. She oversaw sales, operations, and logistics for the thriving business.
Though she enjoyed her job, Andrea began to fear for the safety of her children, as gang violence became more common in Ecuador. On one terrifying occasion, men on motorcycles tried to rob Andrea and her mother while they were leaving the bank. However, nothing prepared her for the day she was held at gunpoint, her two small children at risk of being kidnapped.
Although the family escaped physically unharmed in both incidents, the risk of further danger was enough for Andrea, her husband, and children to leave Ecuador in the hope of a safer life in Canada.
“It was not easy when we first arrived,” she said. “If you had asked me how I was before we found the food bank, I would have cried. My husband was working as a technician, and I had a part-time job making minimum wage, but it wasn’t enough money to pay rent and feed a family of four in Canada. Sometimes I didn’t eat because I had to feed [my kids].”
Andrea and her husband aren’t alone. Currently, more than 1 in 10 people in Toronto rely on food banks – a 36% increase compared to the previous year.
Daily Bread Food Bank is now serving an average of over 300,000 client visits each month. In fact, Almost 155,000 new individuals started using food bank services for the first time this past year. The rising cost of food and other essentials is making it almost impossible for many families to put food on the table.
Today, Andrea works part-time in customer service while studying in college, and her husband has a full-time job. Yet it still isn’t enough to pay all their expenses. “The food bank has been a lifeline for my family during our transition to living in Canada,” Andrea says. She’s grateful for the generosity of donors whose support has made a difference for her family, and others in similar positions.
“Your kindness not only provides essential food assistance, but also brings hope and reassurance that we are not alone in our journey towards stability here in Canada,” says Andrea. “Thank you for being a person that has compassion. I am going to remember this!”
Your support helps Daily Bread keep up with the urgent need for food in our community.
If you would like to help more people access fresh and nutritious food during the holiday season, please click here to donate today.
