Put Food Banks Out of Business
- Toronto Vegetarian Foodbank
As the federal election gets closer, the Put Food Banks Out Of Business campaign has physical postcards that we are trying to get sent to as many MPs on Parliament Hill as possible, as soon as possible, to have maximum impact on the election policy dialogue.
Whether it's mobilizing a small group of family and friends to send ten postcards, or mobilizing your organization to send a hundred, we will mail them to you - and I'm happy to hop on a call to connect with you and your team about it.
The VFJC has ordered 250 postcards and can bring them to your worksite to distribute
It's free to send mail to MPs on Parliament Hill, so all people need to do is add their MP's name (and their own name and address) and stick them in the mail.
Help us mobilize for the future we all want to see: a Canada with a guaranteed liveable basic income floor, so that no one can fall below the poverty line.
We have six different version of our postcards that read:
I Support Basic Income Because...
- 8.7 million people in Canada are now food insecure.
- Black and Indigenous people are twice as likely to be food insecure in Canada.
- 1 in 4 children in Canada are food insecure.
- People who are severely food insecure cost twice as much in healthcare spending.
- Singles on welfare in Canada are living in deep poverty at 63 per cent below the poverty line.
- Poverty costs taxpayers up to $84-billion a year (roughly the cost of a basic income).
The VFJC has ordered 250 postcards and can bring them to your worksite to distribute
Postcards aside, if you have not yet taken action via our website, any emails sent via our Take Action page go to 1) a person's local Member of Parliament, 2) your local provincial representative, and 3) all four of the main party leaders - and it only takes a few seconds.
You can see all the guaranteed liveable basic income endorsements to-date on our Instagram page
In The News
In case you missed it, the PFOB campaign got some good news coverage over the past few months. Here are a few of my favourite articles:
Food banks were never supposed to be permanent, CEO says - Joey Chini, CBC News, Calgary. (January 13, 2025)
Food banks across Canada are begging to be put out of business - Sheena Goodyear, CBC, As It Happens, December 3, 2024
Why food banks say they shouldn’t exist - CBC News (This is the video that has 300,000 views on TikTok)
Food banks call for 'guaranteed liveable basic income' amid growing food insecurity in Canada - Western Standard, February 11, 2025
A few ways that we can collaborate or you can support:
Share the campaign internally with staff and clients:
Basic income needs to be a conversation that's happening within our organizations and at the average dinner table!
Share about Put Food Banks Out Of Business in your newsletter:
If you have a newsletter that you send out to your mailing list, please feel free to include Put Food Banks Out Of Business - we appreciate any support and momentum building.
You can use our campaign trailer.
Join as an endorsing individual or organization:
Similar to the CEO headshots and quotes on our website, you can send us a headshot and a quote, which we'll then share on our socials to continue to generate momentum for the campaign between now and the next election, and maybe use on the PFOB website!
Even better (for the socials) would be a 1-minute-or-less video (shot vertically on a phone camera), explaining why you or your org supports basic income and how it fits in with your policy approach, and either tag us (on Instagram at @pfobcanada) as a collaborator, or send it to me and we'll post and include your organization as a collaborator (similar to food banks who have endorsed so far).
Follow us and invite friends to our socials:
@PFOBCanada on Instagram
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089620681631
Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/VegFoodBank
Share my LinkedIn post.
So please don't hesitate to reach out!
You can reach me here at this email, or you can text me at 647-878-6516 to coordinate a time to chat
Matt Noble
Executive Director