While individuals may feel disconnected from the big national and global issues, those who work for healthy communities everywhere are making change where it counts. For example, People for a Healthy Community in the last year:
- provided more than 4,000 lunches to hungry Gabriolans
- distributed 3,940 bags of food, 25% of which went to feed children on the island
- provided a holiday feast for nearly 125 people December 25, 2010
- distributed Christmas Bureau vouchers to 98 Gabriola families
- nurtured community gardens that provided fresh, nutritious food for hungry people as well as gardening opportunities for children, seniors, and PHC clients
- expanded storage capabilities of their food bank so that efficient food purchases can be made
- launched a monthly lunch and social event for over 30 seniors in our community
- created a weekly social evening for Youth at Risk
- provided employment and job-skill training for unemployed Gabriolans
- developed a Circle of Care, connecting skilled Gabriolans with people who have multiple needs, while offering support services such as financial training, income tax returns, rent and job-readiness support, haircuts, massage acupuncture, and more.
If you add up provisions in numerical units here you would come up with the number of eight thousand, seven hundred and nineteen (lunches plus bags of food plus holiday dinner, etc.), not including the unknowns such as how many people were helped by mentoring and teaching of skills.
Imagine all the towns and cities in all of the provinces of this country (there are 308 Federal Government ridings in Canada) who may be providing a similar number of needs. You get a picture of social activity that is not often recognized. Sadly the needs outweigh accomplishments, but we dismiss or overlook them at our peril.
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