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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ly 12 ,2 01 8 | 6 The Oakville Beaver, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editor@oakvillebeaver.com facebook.com/OakvilleBeav @OakvilleBeaver ABOUT US Oakville Beaver 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 289-293-0617 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Digital/Flyer/Retail: 289-293-0624 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. CONTACT US VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague kmontague@metroland.com | 289-293-0614 Director Advertising Daniel Baird dbaird@metroland.com | 289-293-0624 Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara cohara@metroland.com | 289-293-0615 Regional Manager Digital Content Karen Miceli Director of Distribution Charlene Hall Circulation Manager Kim Mossman kmossman@metroland.com | 905-631-6095 Director of Production Mark Dills Regional Production Manager Manny Garcia WHO WE ARE OPINION • EDITORIAL • The phrase "hunger doesn't take a vacation" sums it up best. While the school year is over, and children are enjoy- ing summer vacation at home, or at camp, the reality is there are likely many families struggling with food inse- curity in Halton Region. The school breakfast and nutri- tion programs are no longer an option for parents, and an alarming number of children across the region face the reality of not having a stable source of nutrition during the summer months. While our community is always quick to step up to the challenge at peak times, like Christmas or other holidays, sometimes food banks can be forgotten during the summer. Most people are enjoying summer vacation and food donations may not be on top of their minds. Yet, the summer months are a critical time for local food banks, who have trouble keeping up with the de- mand when they need it most. Food Banks Canada says close to 1 million Canadians are in need of food bank supports during the summer months. That's why Food Banks Canada launched its annual Every Plate Full campaign, highlighting that while the holidays are the traditional season of giving, food banks also need support in the summer, when food insecurity doesn't take a summer break. This year, the Every Plate Full campaign launched a summer hunger challenge to invite Canadians to get involved and raise enough funds to provide the 26 million meals that are needed this summer. Food insecurity aside, summer can take a toll on families. Aside from the additional meals, there are other added expenses like child care, summer camps, not to mention any additional increases to utilities or expenses at home. Giving back can happen in different ways. It begins with helping keep the shelves at local food banks stocked with the items they need. Many of the most- needed items are simple basics we would take for grant- ed: canned fruit, vegetables, pasta and soup, fruit juice, cold and hot cereal, granola bars, personal hygiene items, and more. For those who can contribute financially, any mone- tary donations can also go a long way to helping. A cash donation not only allows the food bank to focus on pur- chasing any priority needs, but the agencies can often stretch the dollars even further. So whether it's $5 or $500, one can or dozens of cans, think about what you can do to make a difference. Even a little will do. In fact, our region would be a better place if everyone just did one little thing to help others in some capacity. It's not about what you give, it's about how you make a difference. Even a little means a lot to the friends and neighbours in our community who need some support. Summer an important time to give back Imagine having to choose between buying diapers and food or paying the rent andfood or paying the rent andf hydro bill. hydro bill. h In Halton, there are more than 13,500 children living in low income households, re- presenting 10.5 per cent of all children in our community. That is one in 10 kids living in poverty right here in our neighbourhoods. This is why organiza- tions like the Halton Poverty Roundtable (HPRT) are soRoundtable (HPRT) are soR important. Our members are regional change-makers who are challenging the complexity of poverty in our community. We work to shed light on all aspects of poverty and highlight the re- ality of poverty in our neigh- bourhoods. Through con- necting, educating and act- ing together, we aim to reach the ultimate goal of elimi- nating poverty in Halton. Over the course of the past eight years, the HPRT has been involved in raising public awareness on issues ranging from social assis- tance reform, to increasing awareness on availableawareness on availablea housing supports, to the suc- cessful inclusion of commu- nity benefits in publicly- funded infrastructure pro-funded infrastructure pro-f jects directly impacting low- income residents. Poverty looks different in every community, and Hal- ton is no exception. Halton residents living in poverty often have unstable employment, insecure and unaffordable housing, are food insecure, face chronicfood insecure, face chronicf health issues, experience fi- nancial barriers to post-sec- ondary education, and face social exclusion due to the gap that exists between the highest and lowest income earners in our community. A family of four with two adults working full time must earn a minimum of $17.95 an hour to pay for the basic necessities of life. Many in our community have to decide between pay- ing their rent, buying fresh food for their children, andfood for their children, andf paying for necessary medi- cation. HPRT believes that ev- eryoneshould be adequately housed, with enough in- come to meet the most basic standard of living, allowing everyone to eat properly, live with less stress and engage with community supports. If you want to help achieve our vision of 'No Neighbour in Need', visit www.haltonpovertyround- table.com or follow us on Twitter @HaltonPovertyRT. - Sarah Sabihuddin is the Halton Poverty RoundtableHalton Poverty RoundtableH director of communication engagement. Poverty is a reality here in Halton Thousands of children live in low-income households, writes Sabihuddin SARAH SABIHUDDIN Column