Food bank map helps politicians see hunger in their own backyard | CBC News
launched Wednesday by Feed Ontario shows food bank usage across the
province broken down by electoral riding to show politicians what
challenges their constituents face.
Amanda
King, interim executive director of Feed Ontario, which was formerly
known as the Ontario Association of Food Banks, says the map is the
first of its kind in Canada.
“We’re
often asked by elected officials and policy-makers about the statistics
particular to their riding, which is something we hadn’t actually
looked at before,” said King.
To
compile the “hunger atlas,” Feed Ontario used data from member food
banks and their affiliate agencies, between the period of January 1,
2018 and December 31, 2018.
The interactive “heat” map
allows users to select and compare how many people access services from
member food banks depending on where in the province they live.