Low-Income and Poverty

Communities and countries worldwide face the harsh realities of low incomes due to low employment, tough economies, and unsteady world markets. It becomes a struggle to provide themselves and their families with basic needs like food and a sense of community in an unforgiving world. People affected by these factors range in numbers, race, and language, proving that hunger is a universal enemy.

Low-income is a term used to describe a person or family that makes less than the provincial or federal cut-off dependent upon the region. For example, in 2010, if a single person made under $23, 298 before tax with a 1992 base (using the purchasing power of a dollar from 1992), they would be eligible for various tax breaks and benefits. However, these tax breaks do not always provide what is needed for each person, leaving many people not able to afford food after spending their money on things like housing, electricity, and transportation.

If we take Canada alone, 13.8 percent of people nation-wide were considered low-income in 2012. While rates have been shown to be shrinking since 2010, where it was at 14.9, the numbers still prove that there are almost 5 million Canadians who go to work, school, or bed with an empty stomach.

As an example, currently Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG) has 25% of its residents living below the poverty line, while 26% of families living on less than $20000 per year. The borough is in need of help to curb this unfortunate hindrance.

Thankfully, there are organizations that help these struggling communities. The Montreal suburb of NDG has the perfect example of one such organization; the NDG Food Depot.