Laura Fisher is concerned with low income, rural mothers and how to provide them with the resources they need for their families to thrive.
“I look at how we can feed moms and babies and socially support the next generation of Canadians.”
@FlourishLaura
In my last blog, I discussed the effects of stigma on the health and well-being of low-income, rural mothers and babies experiencing food insecurity. To end this series of blogs, I would like to introduce the idea of dignity as a guiding principle when forming and implementing policy for this demographic. According to the UN […]
Being low-income carries a great deal of stigma in our society; being food insecure as a pregnant woman or mother of an infant carries even more. This can be a problem in urban and rural areas, possibly more so in rural areas, because of the lack of anonymity when accessing services. Of course, stigma can […]
Breastfeeding is considered by many, such as the WHO, to be the best way to feed infants, particularly in impoverished situations. Indeed, according to the WHO, breastfeeding provides “all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for the first months of life,” and these benefits continue outside this time into the second year of […]
The Canadian government issued a one-time grocery rebate in July, targeted at low-income Canadians. While the rebate provided some relief to people struggling with soaring inflation, it is far from enough to address the depth of poverty and intensity of food insecurity faced by the lowest income Canadians. During the most vulnerable time of life, mothers and infants living on […]
According to a study based in rural Ontario, rurality impacts food security in both positive and negative ways. In terms of negative impacts, lack of transportation options and infrastructure were crucial detractors of the ability to obtain food consistently. A study conducted in rural Nova Scotia (which I helped conduct) describes the lack of transportation […]
Indigenous families are disproportionately impacted by food insecurity in Canada. While some of the barriers that contribute to food insecurity are the same for Indigenous and non-Indigenous mothers, several important barriers are different or more pronounced due to historical and ongoing colonization. According to PROOF (a food insecurity policy research organization with the University of […]
Housing insecurity/precarity and food insecurity are often intertwined. Food insecurity, according to PROOF, is “inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints.” Housing insecurity, on the other hand, includes several challenging circumstances such as “having trouble paying rent, overcrowding, moving frequently, or spending the bulk of household income on housing.” Examining these definitions, […]
In the previous blog, I explored several issues with sole reliance on food banks as a solution to food insecurity. Discrimination and stigma were salient – especially for low-income, rural mothers who face additional barriers. These barriers include inequity in treatment by the public and some food bank workers, transportation difficulties, and lack of anonymity […]
Disclaimer: This blog post reflects the experiences of food bank users and not workers/volunteers. The experiences of workers/volunteers are beyond the scope of this blog post. What is the solution to rising food costs? Food banks are often seen as the most viable option to feed hungry families. A recent report indicates that food bank […]
