Food bank in Canada closes its doors to int’l students
Updated: Nov 10th, 2023
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| Food Bank in Canada (img: IANS) |
Failing to meet an overwhelming demand for supplies, a food bank in the Canadian province of Ontario has said it is closing its door to international students.
A Brampton-based food bank said it cannot provide enough food and other supplies to its customers as the number of foreign students turning up at the outlet has been soaring since September, as per reports.
Food banks under pressure to accommodate
A food bank is a charitable organisation that collects safe, nutritious food, and redistributes it to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity.
A charity organisation’s most recent annual report, found a 63% year-over-year increase in use from July 2022 to June 2023.
“We get groups of three, four, sometimes nine, 10, with their backpacks ready for free stuff, we tell them, ‘We can’t feed you, you’re responsible for yourself and your family’,” a president of a food bank was quoted as per reports.
They said that students are required to show funds for their first year before coming into Canada, and hence should not be relying on food banks.
In response, a co-founder of another food bank in Etobicoke, said one should not assume students have the money to sustain themselves when cost of living is so high.
“Even average Canadians… a person who is making $60,000 (₹49.96 lakh) is still eating at our food bank,” said the owner, whose food bank serves 1,500 students each morning from 57 colleges, as per reports.
A national director of an international non-profit aid and relief organisation called the move “quite disturbing” as some students are left with as little as $688 (₹57,292) each month to cover food and other expenses.
“I wonder if they realise how difficult it is for international students, some of them who are heavily in debt... Showing up at a food bank is a last resort for people struggling during a cost of living crisis,” the national director said.
They were quoted as per reports saying their organisation has received numerous requests from international students struggling to find a job that offers them 20 hours a week.
Life for immigrants in Canada
Canada continues to grapple with a severe cost of living and housing crisis with nearly seven million people there struggling to put food on the table, according to a recently released Food Banks Canada report.
Recently, hundreds of international students, who had taken admission in colleges of North Bay in Ontario, reportedly demanded a full fee refund for lack of resources, which included housing, food and jobs.
The country welcomed more than 8,00,000 international students last year, with the country on track to bring in 9,00,000 international students in 2023, according to immigration minister Marc Miller.
According to immigration refugees, citizenship of Canada (IRCC), international students contribute more than $22.3 bn (₹1.85 lakh cr) per year to the Canadian economy.
Indian students account for nearly four out of every 10 foreign students.
(Source: IANS)
- Edited for style
