Nourishing joy for families during a sacred time

Food insecurity is a whirlwind of a struggle. Those who experience it face a lot of stress. There’s the hunger, the lack of nutrients and the anxiety of whether there will be enough food for every person in the family. There’s the feeling of frustration and a sense of embarrassment over their food situation that sometimes can be unshakeable. In more extreme cases there is starvation and fatality due to the lack of food. 

In Yemen, 17 million people are faced with hunger due to food insecurity. The acute food insecurity and malnutrition situation in Yemen deteriorated further in 2022, increasing to 19 million by the end of the year. 

During Ramadan 2023, Humaniti wanted to cover the nutritional needs as many vulnerable families and individuals in the country as possible. The goal was to send meal packages for iftar to 363 families for 12 days during Ramadan. A total of 678 food baskets were provided to 678 families.

These families were able to break their fast with these meals, allowing them to experience Ramadan to its fullest. The feeling of sitting with your family with a spread of food on the table is an experience that everyone who partakes in Ramadan should feel. 

Supporting Local Communities 

Because of the concerning and urgent global issues the world faces, attention is often focused heavily on the people across the seas in need of help and aid. While global issues understandably draw significant attention, we must ensure that no one feels overlooked, especially those in our own communities.  

In Toronto, almost 1 in 5 households are food insecure. With inflation rates in Canada, the struggle to provide for oneself can become more difficult, leaving many with stress and insufficient meals to keep themselves healthy and safe.  On top of this, they must deal with the uncertainty that they can make ends meet and provide themselves with adequate meals, making their home environment stressful and a burden weighing heavy on their shoulders.

Humaniti, in collaboration with Hand Up Toronto, created the Family Support Program to help lift that weight. This program is committed to providing nutritional support to 350 families suffering from food insecurity in the Greater Toronto Area. A total of 15,000 individuals from these 350 families received meal packages delivered directly to their doors. With the help of volunteers who drove to deliver the necessary meals, Humaniti was able to provide food that met these individuals’ dietary needs for six months. Our goal was to ensure that everyone in the home felt nourished, stabilized, and steady, creating a safer and healthier environment for all.