What is food security? No, it is not being sure your chocolate bars are hidden from your spouse, or being food safe and making sure food is served without contamination, i.e. safely. Food security is defined by the World Food Summit as being achieved “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life”.
The Trick or Eat for Food Security campaign addresses the rising rates of hunger in Canada. As of 2012, 4 million individuals, including 1.15 million children, do not have access to safe, nutritious and affordable food in our country. It is imperative that we change the conversation from hunger as a charitable cause to hunger as a systemic and structural problem that requires intervention for a long-term fix.
For 15 years, Trick or Eat has engaged Canadians coast-to-coast to address the immediate need of hunger concerns within their communities through door-to-door food collection and online fundraising. This Halloween, given the scale and rising rates of hunger in Canada, Meal Exchange is looking for more than just donations during Trick or Eat – and asking Canadians to raise their voice and join the conversation about ending hunger.
As we get ready for Halloween this October, you can participate in #TrickOrEat online in two ways:
- “Share the Scare” of rising hunger by taking a picture of your scariest face and sharing it on Twitter.
- Join and follow the conversation throughout the month via Twitter, as we facilitate dialogue around the question: With hunger on the rise in Canada, what can Canadians do to end it? Don’t forget to use #trickoreat in your tweets!
Here’s a couple cool tweets that you could have some fun and spread the word with.
Share the Scare Sample Tweets
*Attach a photo of your scariest face.
- Know what’s scary? 4 million+ Canadians are food insecure. Let’s talk about it: http://ow.ly/COKow #TrickOrEat
- 1 in 8 families have inadequate access to regular, healthy meals. #TrickOrEat
- Boo! Hunger is scary – picture this: 1.15 million children are food insecure in Canada. #TrickOrEat
What does food insecurity in Canada look like?
Additional resources about hunger and suggested long-term solutions can be found at: http://trickoreat.ca/index.php/hunger-in-canada
