“Help us help the needy,” said Vishal Khanna, director of Sai Dham Canada Food Bank.
Khanna said the food bank will help anyone in need, and will deliver free a one-month supply of food right to the door of those in need. “We don’t want anybody without food,” he said.
Sai Dham Canada is a two-year-old Hindu religious charity that serves residents in Peel. It is presently seeks help in spreading awareness to tackle hunger in the region.
The poverty rate in Peel Region regional poverty rate is at 17 per cent and includes 14,520 individuals, including 3,985 children and youth that use homeless shelters and transitional housing.
A 2011 study titled Portraits of Peel – A Community Left Behind shows the region’s senior population (65+) is increasing at almost three times the rate of Ontario and Canada. By 2018, it will reach 1.64 million by 2031.
Nearly 40 per cent of Peel seniors are living alone and in poverty.
Khanna said once a person is referred, the food bank delivers one-month free food on a priority basis.
The delivery includes daily utility items such as flour, rice, cooking oil, lintel, beans, sugar, salt, coffee, tea, snacks and various other non-perishable items.
The food bank is located at 7140 Goreway Dr. in Mississauga.
For more information, visit www.saidhamcanada.org or call 905-956-2646.
Source: Mississauga.com