Is NDG going hungry?

It's hard to know what to make of some statistics. The Food Depot food bank in NDG recently did some bean counting of their own and discovered that, between 1995 and 1996, the number of visits to the Depot increased by 18 per cent--from 22,000 to 26,000. And the number continues to rise.

That's a lot of visits for one neighbourhood. Is NDG going to the dogs? No, say local community activists, but some residents are definitely going hungry. "People always tend to think of NDG as a relatively affluent middle-class neighbourhood," says Debbie Ferguson of the NDG Community Council. "But poverty does exist here." The problem has become big enough that a coalition of community groups are organizing a public meeting to deal with the issue of "food security."

This despite the fact that NDG probably has one of the best "food security" programs in the city. The local Éco-Quartier runs a backyard-sharing program: elderly citizens, no longer able to tend to their yards, agree to let volunteers grow vegetable gardens in exchange for 25 per cent of the crop. The Éco-Quartier promptly delivers the other 75 per cent to the Food Depot. "The backyard sharing was a big success," says organizer Jean-Marie Chapeau. "We need to expand it considerably for next year."

The food security meeting takes place on Monday, November 9, at 7 p.m. at the Monkland Community Centre, 4410 Westhill. Info: 484-1471.

-Philip Preville