Building Networks of Food Solidarity in Montréal
Note that this researcher position is filled until Fall 2017.
Project Description
Most food aid organizations ask for government-issued ID, proof of address, proof of income and proof of immigration status to access their services. These are documents that non-status residents generally do not have; being unable to provide them enhances the fear of being reported to immigration authorities and effectively denies thousands of people access to vital resources.
The goal of this project is to survey existing food aid services, primarily food banks, to 1) gain an understanding of the barriers that exist for non-status residents to access food aid in Montreal; (2) identify those food services with fewer barriers or already existing methods of inclusion to build networks of solidarity with the Food for All committee and (3) come up with ways to further challenge and alleviate these barriers.
This project is to support the Food for All’s Access Without Fear campaign, which aims to get food service organizations to adopt a Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy to incite service providers to serve all residents, regardless of immigration status, and have food banks off limits to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
Project Type
Survey and gathering information into an easy-to-read format or flyer.
Organization
The Food for All committee from Solidarity Across Borders
About the Organization
Food for All is a committee of Solidarity Across Borders, a grassroots migrant justice network. We believe that access to food is a fundamental part of dignity and self-determination for all. We believe that the practice of denying services to people, including at food banks, is deeply discriminatory.
Part of the struggle to break down borders within our city is to ensure that people have access to services without fear. Food services should be accessible for all Montréalers, regardless of immigration status. In building a Solidarity City, we are opposing fear, isolation, precarity, and division.
In addition to working to ensure food banks are accessible to all, we also work to challenge the colonial systems that create the injustices that necessitate the need for food banks in the first place.
We demand access to healthy food for everyone, regardless of immigration status!