Mazon believes that Canada's food future must not only feed us all, but do so sustainably. That's why, while our biggest goal is getting food to those who need it, we're also prioritizing sustainable food projects more and more each year. Here's how your donation fights climate change on top of feeding people in need:
INVESTING IN LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS
The Facts:
In Canada, the average fruit or vegetable travels more than 2,500 km before arriving at our local supermarket. It makes this journey by flatbed truck and cargo plane, sea and rail.
Over the course of any given week, these little journeys add up. If you’re eating a balanced diet, chances are your food is traveling over 30,000 km and emitting 5.911 kg of CO2e weekly.
What's more, the vast majority of food packaging is made from single use plastics. Although many of these products are theoretically recyclable, only 9% of recyclable plastic waste is actually repurposed. Of the remainder, 79% accumulates in landfills and waterways, and 12% is incinerated.
How Mazon Helps:
Through our network of community gardens, Mazon is helping stand against climate change by strengthening sustainable local food systems in the face of an uncertain future.
In addition to promoting self-sufficiency and providing access to healthy food, community gardens dramatically reduce the distance food needs to travel from farm to table, and eliminate the need for wasteful packaging and processing - all while bringing communities together.
By the end of 2021s growing season, Mazon affiliated gardens will have harvested 35,000 lbs of local produce!
SUPPORTING FOOD RESCUE OPERATIONS
The Facts:
In Canada, we throw away 2.3 million tonnes of food each year. Much of this food rots away in landfills, even as 1 in 7 Canadians go hungry.
If that wasn’t bad enough, this rotting food also produces methane — a greenhouse gas 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.
Globally, food wastage alone accounts for a staggering 6% of greenhouse gas emissions. To put this number in context, air travel contributes only 2-3% of global emissions!
How Mazon Helps:
Mazon funds equipment that helps our partners rescue food. 'Food rescue' stops safe, edible food that hasn't been sold from ending up in landfills - for example, close-to-expiring food from grocery stores, or food that can't be sold because of errors on the labels.
Last year alone, we invested over $100,000 in infrastructure that will help organizations rescue edible food destined for landfills!
This critical equipment includes fridges and freezers to store food safely, vehicles to pick up and deliver rescued food, and kitchen equipment (like tables, bowls, knives and sinks) to cook raw ingredients into delicious meals.
Even though this equipment makes a big difference, many of our partners say it's hard to find the money to pay for it. Mazon is proud to listen to our partners so we can help them in the ways that really count.
Over the next five years, this infrastructure is projected to rescue more than 1 million lbs of healthy food !
RESTORING INDIGENOUS FOODWAYS
The Facts:
Traditional Inuit foodways have fed people local and sustainable food for thousands of years.
But today, hunger hits hardest in Canada's northern territories, where fresh food is mostly flown in.
Food insecurity is 8 times higher in the northern territories than in the rest of Canada.
A strategy has been developed specifically to tackle this problem by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national voice of Inuit people in Canada: Read it here!
How Mazon Helps:
Mazon supports local food harvests on Inuit land through partners like Iqaluit's Qajukturvik Community Food centre.
With Mazon's support, the meat they feed to their food-insecure clientsis sourced sustainably from local hunters. Local meats include muskox, seal, and fish like arctic char.
This feeds fresh, healthy meat to these in need without the carbon cost of airplanes!
This program not only feeds culturally-appropriate food for vulnerable people in Iqaluit and sustainably manages animal populations to protect local ecology and avoids carbon emissions - but also keeps the local economy strong!
Excited by what you've learned? You can stay in touch for more news and hunger information by signing up for our newsletter, and can help Mazon fight for Canada's food future by donating now!
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