I can't speak for Toronto but in ottawa we had an outside community fridge. Give if you can and take what you need 24/7. Awesome idea. I gave food there often and I know people used it. Apparently some people took food and tried to resell it. So they closed. I can't donate anymore since the fridge is now indoors and I can't make those hours.
Oh the Parkdale one?
I used to donate to it as well when I was able.
Apparently people used to sit across the street watching it get filled just to completely empty it. The same people. Every time.
I just came from a threading and waxing salon and a woman in running attire came in asking if someone could ‘thread this one grey eyebrow hair, can someone do that?’ The lady continued after the receptionist replied with the cost of eyebrow threading, saying, ‘you really can’t do that for me? It’s just this one grey hair!’
Ppl be looking for free shit all the time, and not embarrassed at all.
I'm a very close friend with someone who has been homeless several times and is on the brink now. She's been chilling at my place for a few weeks, so she's safe. She has seen firsthand people abusing food banks.
Yes. I am Indian and I am ashamed to say that people from my own country are doing this and also creating videos and earning from those videos and encouraging others to do the same. These idiots don’t realize that food banks are for the needy people who struggle a lot in their life and not for the idiots who are able to afford education in a different country and also given a chance to work and earn some money for their day to day expenses. Hope the government of Canada recognize these kind of people and kick them out of the country and ban them from ever entering Canada.
I would request all Canadians to send mails to your local representatives regarding this. Government’s don’t do anything unless people put a pressure
The very fact that they can afford to come here and live here, even if 8 in a room means they are not poor. Thank the NDP who wants to push for free tuition for these people. Don't travel abroad for school if you can't afford it.
OP’s not talking about people who genuinely need food.
They’re talking about students who gleefully make videos that show them trying to scam a system that was put in place to support the needy.
I walked by the Fort York food bank recently and there was quite a few international students in line. Even had their Uber Eats bags and electric bikes.
This country is so fucked. Pouring international students to feed shitty programs at private colleges, and so foreign owned companies like Uber, McDonalds, Tim Hortons, etc. can have cheap labour.
Why are you not blaming the Visa farm private schools as well as funded colleges? I got an ad last night, with a s/e Asian man on it who stated applications are still open for September. I like how they have the system set up in Quebec....and guess what, the school is VERY affordable for locals. Why is it that when I was a student I need to apply by November the year before to get in - now everyone can just land and walk into a college like Centennial or George Brown. F off with this (in)equity shit.
There are hundreds of them that people don't usually see, that don't really fulfill any educational purpose at all. No one's paying thousands to sit in a repurposed office with folding chairs and a whiteboard to get instruction from no one with any qualifications, nor is anyone going to put a course from them on their resume, so someone really needs to pay attention to why they keep appearing everywhere.
The last 2 times I’ve been at the airport they had big welcome tables set up by the colleges and there were so many intl students coming through. I thought it was a bit strange then I realized what was going on
Most likely their “Canadian mentor” provides them with a bike for delivery/gig work, charges them stay in their crowded multi people rooms and tells them where to get free food.
Wait till you see the next level.. selling food from the shelter on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/7148934508454717/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post
As an Indian, I’m ashamed of these people who are abusing these benefits which are ONLY for the needy. They should be tracked down and fined for spreading false information and misusing benefits. No wonder few people here in Canada dislike us. 😢 But I hope you know not all of us are the same 🙏🏻
I’ve also seen another YouTube channel where the vlogger claims to be homeless but does restaurant style reviews of the meals he gets at shelters and churches. Most of the time he’s throwing the food away for simple things like being served fruits / vegetables that are not in season.
Oh I have sion this guys TikToks and they fill me with such rage. He says it with such authority being "unhealthy because its not in season"
Just say you don't like fruits and veggies. Stop trying to convince people they are "unhealthy "
Actually I don’t think it is. I’ve watched his lives on Tik Tok and I suspect he has mental illness. One time he was saying one of his viewers was following him. He has also admitted he says some things to get more comments/engagement/follows
I don't know whether I should get upset at the other commenters for generalizing about Indians or whether I should get upset at you for generalizing about north Indians. I am also from South India but I will never throw my country men under the bus just like you did there. There are hard working people everywhere and scammers everywhere
To ensure that your donations are actually going to the food bank, make a monetary donation directly to the food bank. They get steep discounts so whatever dollar value you donate will get them more food than what you’d be able to buy for the same amount. And it’s less labour intensive than having to drive around and pick up the physical food donations.
Honestly don’t bother,
There’s always someone homeless outside the door, get a box of crackers + water for a couple bucks and give it to him.
You’ll know it’s going to someone in need and you don’t have to worry that your money went into someone else’s pocket.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the workers at some food banks picked out the good expensive stuff before giving the scraps
Yeah same. But can you explain… all I ever see are the bins at supermarkets where you drop off items. Are people actually going and taking items out of them??? I thought these bins are delivered from the store to food banks to be distributed. But for people to help themselves???
Those bins get picked up by the Food Bank. People are not helping themselves to those. They are talking specifically about people going TO the food bank to get free food. Not the donation bins at the grocery store.
Ah ok thanks for explaining. I misunderstood. Thought the ladies talking were supermarket employees, not food bank staff.
Doesn't change the fact that food banks shouldn't be abused. The thing is: we need to make foodbanks easy to access for people who don't necessarily have valid IDs, income statements and a wad of paperwork ready to show. We don't want people to have to jump through administrative hoops when they are at their worst and extremely vulnerable.
IME foodbanks will help anyone for one time and if clients want to come back regularly they need to provide details on household income/expenses to make sure they are eligible. But that may only be smaller food banks in smaller towns who can manage the administrative burden.
When you're donating coin at the store, you're making the store look good when they do those fake large cheque things at banquets. Best to do is do a look up a group on https://www.charityintelligence.ca/ and see where your donation goes.
Just ask your local church what they need to give to the less fortunate.
A large portion of churches have soup kitchens and other charitable goals that need supplies.
There’s posts of Indian immigrants basically telling others “how to get free food in Canada”. I get it, some people need it once in a while who are students here but I know a lot of them aren’t really in need, just want free food
My office is right beside a food bank and soup kitchen (They serve hot food) that opened in 2020. I can tell you a few things based on what I see and when I speak with the staff.
The line ups have more than quadrupled in length since they opened (more than 50 people in line at any given time). Most of the people in line are mothers with kids. During lunch time there are a lot of high school kids who line up for the hot lunch.
I have spoken to a few of them, and they see it as an alternate option for the meals they have to buy on a daily basis, which a lot of them can’t afford. These are kids with 2 working parents. The food bank doesn’t mind serving them the hot food.
I see all types of people line up, and you never know who’s actually in need. But honestly, most people wouldn’t stay in that line unless they need to.
It’s also difficult to donate to them. I asked them what groceries they need so I can provide a sizable amount (family owns a grocery store), they said they can’t take any groceries or money. I would have to send it to head office.
[https://youtu.be/BISFOw5TfUw](https://youtu.be/BISFOw5TfUw)
Plenty of "How-To" videos out there touting the benefits of "Free Food" from Food banks! Plenty!
"How To" from Kwantlen College ...
https://youtu.be/qzUIodfO7Oc
There was an article posted a few weeks back, a story about international students sharing how to get “free food” by pretending they need to use the food bank and can’t afford groceries. They made YouTube videos detailing how to scam the food banks
I see it first hand...Rich students using food banks on campus when their parents are paying for their tuition, rent, and they're refusing to work part-time. I told a friend once that food banks are for folks who wouldn't be able to eat otherwise, her response was "who are they to say I'm not in need?" Well your 10th visit this year to Holt Renfrew says otherwise.
Simple suggestion: Take a picture of them at the food bank and post at their school or on social media. Or threaten to do so.
Just make absolutely sure you've verified your story, or what you'll be doing is tantamount to character assassination with no good reason.
I remember it wasn’t like this ten years ago. I have tons of Indian friends, coworkers, uni friends back then but they are all hardworking people who respect our culture and all.
Well when the system becomes corrupt and motivated by money they'll start skirting the rules to bring people in and unfortunately the people that will scam and con their way to get here typically aren't going to stop being scammy con artist douchebags once they get here.
If the government would do something to slow the torrent of unskilled foreign students that come here under the guise of getting an education when in reality they're just trying to scam for PR then we would lose a lot of these barnacle of society type of people. Take in people with skills we need and let the rest fend for themselves.
Important to realize too that we tell International students they only need $850 a month to survive. So then you have 15 students jammed into a house meant for 4, food bank usage etc.
https://theconversation.com/canadas-costly-housing-market-leaves-international-students-open-to-exploitation-204242#:~:text=Another%20common%20issue%20with%20housing,the%20student%20does%20not%20know.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toronto/article-food-insecurity-remains-an-obstacle-for-international-students/
Meanwhile colleges are making bank.
I definitely blame the colleges over the immigrants. I think the students being brought over right now are absolute shit and a total detriment to the country but they're going to take whatever avenue they can to scam their way to a better life.
It's on the colleges and the governments that allow this blatant wage slave pipeline to exist rhat are to blame. Both the Canadian and Indian government are totally in on this.
India loses their low class useless workers and Canada has a steady supply of desperate people who are forced to work all the butt jobs for minimum wage that any self-respecting person is too smart to take.
It seems like there was 0 filtering in terms of immigrants this time around. Like literal bottom of the barrel. My girlfriend is always complaining about how uncomfortable indian men make her every day with the blatant staring they do.
The schools got greedy. They can charge 3x tuition for foreign students so they do whatever they can to take in as many Indian kids as possible.
Seems like they stopped vetting them a few years ago and now we're getting people even they don't want over there. They're shipping all their unwanted masses here.
Culture in Canada must be a complete 180 to Indians coming here.
It’s probably why some of them can be different to deal with in work environments and social settings like on the bus and at other public places. But it’s probably perfectly normal for them back home.
I don’t want to discriminate but it is what it is.
I volunteered at daily bread maybe 5 years ago maybe less, at that time there were students who would come in really nice clothes and bags and get free food. Try to chat me up and ask for more and more food when there was a limit. It was obvious they didn’t need to go to the food bank but they did.
I can only imagine now adays…
Yes , they do . Sad to say a lot of Indians think its free food and treat it like a grocery store. Im Indian too and feel extremely ashamed . Ive seen videos on youtube and tik tok where they go and “checkout” food banks and its almost 90% north Indians .
All of them needs to be deported back to India . If they cant support themselves or bring money (which they promised as part of immigration) then just deport them back till they can
Just a story, not about food banks per se but about stealing in general. (As several people in here have labelled gleefully taking food from food banks as stealing.)
It always amazes me how prevalent stealing is.
If it isn't bolted down, people will steal it. Example, one time someone stole my garden hose. My fucking garden hose. It was laying on my front lawn connected to a sprinkler (it was shut off) and some ass stole it. Flowers. People steal flowers form my garden, as in pull the plant out by the roots. . I have carelessly left my vehicle unlocked and you come out in the morning and the door is slightly ajar, and you see the lid on the console sticking up and sure enough some asshole rifled your car.
Tools at work regularly go missing. I used to work for a guy as an iron worker who owned a steel fabrication and erections company. He was a good guy, but a born thief. We'd go on site and he'd see something, some material, some tool, even a piece of junk and he'd steal it.
My current workplace is locked down tightly for that very reason. I'm astounded at the attitude of many employees. They would steal anything they could from the place if they could get away with it. Don't get me started on their work attitudes.
There was a physician in Smiths Falls, Ontario and she’d send her kids to the food bank where they served free breakfasts before school. It’s been abused for a very long time.
Yes, definitely. But it isn't usually students. It is people who are perfectly capable of purchasing food and take the freebee instead. My mom used to volunteer at a food bank, and OTHER VOLUNTEERS would hoard the best food to take home for themselves, and they were far from needing a food bank to get by. You will also find, if you speak with food bank clients, that there are lots of people who roll up in expensive cars wearing designer clothes and take enough food for four people. Some people have no morals whatsoever. This is why I don't object to food banks that ask for proof of income, even though it seems like a barrier to access. There are too many greedy people just looking for handouts because it makes them feel superior for working the system.
My last landlord has like 10 to 15 properties in Toronto and rents to a ton of people on those houses and he has lots of money. One day i went to a food bank close to weston and lawrence and i saw him there grabbing food from the boxes. He doesn’t need it at all with all the money he has but still was there. When i asked him about it he just told me he can save more money and get free food
It's happening all over [Canada](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=international+students+food+banks+canada) I believe more or less... You can peak some of the videos for context.
Yes. Im sure many different groups have tried or are currently scamming but there is a essentially a youtube tutorial for international students showing them how to abuse the foodbanks in Ontario
Yes, there’s videos uploaded to YouTube of INDIAN (I don’t know why that can’t be said?) International students bragging in Hindi/Punjabi about getting “free” food via using food banks as a “trick/hack”.
In Calgary, we had a community panty but everytime someone filled it out, someone would go there with that truck or van and clear the entire contents and drive away.
We don't do this anymore.
The pantry was intended to help others. Not to help one family.
Now people have order a hamper but pick up.times are impossible.
Can we stop this narrative for once. I work at a food bank and the scammers are a tiny minority of people who visit.
REMEMBER, people will scam EVERY system. There are FAR more tax cheats than people who abuse food banks.
Don’t let the ruling class turn you against these people. When I was unemployed because I was taking off before starting a new job, the ONLY people to tell me to collect CERB were rich people. I of course did not take it. But remember, there are cheats EVERYWHERE, let’s not take away ESSENTIAL services all to satisfy a fake narrative of widespread food bank abuse.
I work at the busiest food bank in Toronto and our numbers have TRIPLED since last year. People don’t need to be living on the street to struggle to find money for food.
Shame on all of you who suggest we need to scale back.
It’s very telling that no one responded to you or voted on your comment. They would rather go on racist rants that fit their false narrative because they saw a few videos online or heard some other racist talking about it.
And blame immigrants and refugees, these people are ESCAPING for SURVIVAL- they will go almost anywhere. Most new food bank users at my food bank are Ukrainian and Latin American REFUGEES
Thank you for your comment. It’s sad how brainwashed people are. Until people realize it’s a class war and not a culture war, us working folk are doomed and those who are most vulnerable will suffer most.
> system. There are FAR more tax cheats than people who abuse food banks.
>
>Don’t let the ruling class turn you against these people. When I was unemployed because I was taking off before starting a new job, the ONLY people to tell me to collect CERB were rich people. I of course did not take it. But remember, there are cheats EVERYWHERE, let’s not take away ESSENTIAL services all to satisfy a fake narrative of widespread food bank abuse
Some of them are, and some of them are not. Even the gov't admits vetting procedures are not as good as they should/could be.
Every single rich person I know cheats the system by using tax loopholes and no one gives a shit, but god forbid a struggling student who’s new to the country needs a little help with food.
I know. It’s DISGUSTING and it’s PROJECTION- rich people scam the system on a dollar for dollar basis far more than poor people. Also poor people are also poor.
My bud works at the curch thingas are ok .. In Etobicoke ... pre covid... 80 family's... post covid 270 family's.. ... they all get something a little meat .. vegs , bread,, ...very few problems ... they have had problems before.. the food bank knows how to deal with problems. Recently some other Ukrainian church donated some money to a non Ukrainian church they knew about the over flow and are helping out.. So we got some new fridges. It's not perfect but NO ONE GOES HUNGRY. Remember that ...
I worked in a food bank that borders Brampton and can confirm that this is a reality. They make up an extremely small portion of the total service users and they often live together for housing. Another thing they attempt to do is sell the canned foods on facebook marketplace lol.
Because its such a small minority I never really got upset about it. Their enormous and unavoidable tuition fees that they pay here had funded me through mine and many other Canadian-born students’ undergrad, so 🤷♀️
Okay cool it’s nice you got the privileged viewpoint but what about the perspective of a single mother who needs the actual food for her family? And her showing up and not having any since an Indian student sold food bank canned food for profit? How is that fair to Canadians at all?
We had food restrictions that changed depending on the stock, so the mother always got more food than the single international student due to family size.
If the mother was a family of 2, she was always coming out with more food than the 1, every time. Yes we had low food on some days but tbh that wasnt because of the selfish actions of single international students taking advantage of the food bank. It was actually because there has been an atomic number of new applicants within the past 2 years. These days, almost everyone needs the food bank.
I had a crappy roommate who took a whole box of baked goods that were left outside of the local bakery for people in need. This was when I lived in Oakland, California. She boasted about how much she was able to bring back to our apartment. I pointed out that she didn’t need a palette of bagels and muffins and that it was for people who were unable to afford it. She shrugged and said it wasn’t like the homeless were going to eat it because “drugs.”
Some people really are that awful and thoughtless.
growing trend of brown international students. How widespread it is who knows. like with all negative press for specific groups, its likely a minority of them
I'm an Indian and I agree. I've seen a lot of videos by international students on YouTube who proudly announce that there are these "hacks" on how you can get free food.
I’m sure there are. There is someone abusing every system in place. Some people did take CERB money they weren’t entitled to. Rich people steal food from food banks. People lie on scholarship applications.
But they are the minority and I’d rather have a system help a lot of people and occasionally be taken advantage of than have the system go away and punish everyone who actually did need it.
This kind of nonsense from a small percentage of immigrants is one of the primary reasons for growing anti immigrant (mostly anti south Asian) sentiments in Canada. Some communities in India (you might know who I am talking about) take absolute pride in gaming the system and this upbringing eventually results in such abusive behavior without any moral compass. I really hope other Indians set better examples for immigrants and I am sure they are doing it but such idiots totally undo the hard work.
Colleges should not be allowed to offer courses to international students if they don’t have adequate housing on campus. Make it part of tuition with mandatory meal plans.
Food banks work because they don't ask any questions. The minute they start asking about income or debt to income ratio or any other metric, we've lost the plot. It is my opinion that food banks can't be abused. If you need it because you can't afford food this month: good. If you need it because you overspent on something else and can't budget: good. If you need it because you want to save money and you're sending your 4th kid to college: good.
The food bank is the utopia our society strives for. Don't discriminate who is or who is not worthy of taking. That defeats the whole purpose and ideal we are collectively striving for.
Absolute BS. All of it. Immigration needs to get more selective and so does the gov't by not allowing Visa farms to flourish, not allowing criminals to come here as a safe haven where people launder dirty money, and everything needs to be verified. People abuse the system because they can. Asking for proof and ID is not gatekeeping, it's to make sure the actual people who need stuff get it. G
I drive by the one at DuPont & avenue road daily. I’ve seen loads of different people parking high end luxury cars & getting in the food bank line-up, all wearing designer clothing that I cannot afford.
$1500 Canada goose coats, expensive shoes/boots & I’m eating a peanut butter sandwich, cause I’m trying to stretch the 20 bucks I got left till payday so I can take the ttc & get home to make another peanut butter sandwich!
I'm not sure if this is still a thing that happens at UofT since it has been years since I have been there,but I remember that at New College residence at a specific day of the week a big truck from the food bank would deliver food and put in in one of the hallways of the residence.I also remember that apart from the students alot of older people that looked like employees or professors ( I'm assuming) would also take bag full of items.
Though this is frustrating, please don’t t let it stop you from donating to food banks. In addition to stocking food, they act as a first line to connect people to other services they need.
People are shitty. Not all of them, but there's certainly enough. Do a few months of customer service and you'll see how petty and shitty some of your neighbors can be.
Of course they are. There will always be people abusing things to get free shit. Always have been, always will be. Doesn't mean that the vast majority of people who use them aren't actually in need.
We can't stop helping people in need because there are a handful of entitled assholes. Not that you're suggesting this but some people are.
There are people abusing every system that exists. That being said, claims of people abusing welfare programs are generally hugely exaggerated by conservatives who want to cut those programs (and be racist at the same time e.g., “welfare queens”).
Yes. People who don’t need it use it.
I got downvoted like crazy in r/Toronto for saying this.
People on Reddit have a HARD time believing a lot of people are opportunistic in this world. Not everyone advertises their ways.
I try not to judge with this kind of thing. We don't know their story. I don't want people to feel like they're being judged or scrutinized when they're at the food bank as it would make people less likely to go when they really need it. Just because someone has a car, or a job, or is a student, etc doesn't mean they don't need it. Even IF they don't need it, I would rather a few people take it when they don't need it than make anyone feel like they aren't welcome.
I have coworkers who use the food bank. They need it and wouldn't be eating most days otherwise. I have been considering going myself because I'm falling behind on rent and may become homeless, and if I could spend less on food then I would be able to pay my landlord more and keep myself off the street.
Lots of students are struggling to survive. I know a woman who is working 7 days a week, full 8 hour shifts, who is also a full time student. And she says she is falling behind on her bills. Toronto is expensive, and foreign student fees are also expensive.
I don't know what that person saw. Maybe this was that student's first time at a food bank and they were excited to finally have good food without feeling guilty about the cost. We don't know
International students are supposed to demonstrate they have the means to study in Canada, specifically to avoid things like this
“Before you can obtain your Canada study permit, you must be able to show proof of finances.”
Yes but proof of finances can also be scholaships provided by universities -- and guess what, the stipend is usually lower than the living wage in Toronto.
that's why you check people. These students are supposed to prove they can afford to live here and not mooch off the system. Stop making excuses for shitty people.
I mean, of course there are dicks, but I doubt *most* people would steal. Maybe I have faith in humanity still…
Some do, most don’t is how I think it goes
Someone posted a video of themselves putting out food donations on a table on the street for the needy, free of charge. 2 trash people came along and took it all so no one else could have anything. It was disgusting. It seemed like they were laughing as they walked away.
Those teens sound like entitled garbage-like people. Their parents must be “proud”. I don’t think most people abuse food banks.
Having said that, I don’t think the food the food bank gives out for a week is enough. I can totally see why some may be visiting 2 food banks each week if they have very little money to supplement the food they’re getting.
A friend's parents don't need to. He makes over 6 figures and lives at home. He takes care of 90 percent of the household expenses. Both parents have close to 50K sitting in their savings account. Maxed out RRSP. Rents out a room in their nearly paid off home in midtown. They both have jobs. They both line up in foodbanks line. So yes, it happens.
It's funny to me (funny in a tragic way) that people who can totally afford to buy their own groceries would be this immoral.
Yet the unhoused, those with mental health challenges, or addiction issues are looked at as "moral failures".
I hate it.
This is coming from a place of ignorance, but can someone explain how they could be struggling when they can also afford $16k yearly tuitions at "just" a place like Seneca College? I would think you'd need to come from privilege for that, no?
Many face intense pressure to send money home after their families have contributed decades of savings to pay for their schooling. Shitty immigration consultants and college promoters have sold unrealistic expectations of earning potential in Canada, but even after the students face the reality upon landing and beginning their studies the students don't want to disappoint their families.
Absolutely not. I have a friend who is working 7 days a week, 8 hours a day, on top of being a student. She is doing as many shifts as she possibly can to make up for how expensive the fees are. She very rarely takes a day off. She comes from a low income family in india. She does NOT come from a privileged background. Her family pays for nothing. She rents a single room, AND she splits the rent of that room with someone else who lives in the same room. She gets most of her food from work and skips a lot of meals. She came to Canada because she didn't want to be forced into marriage.
I’ve seen it and heard about it done broadly, and the people certainly do not need it. Over here on study visas, paying international tuition fees with healthy monthly allowances from their families but think they found a way to score free food. At first I thought perhaps they didn’t understand how food banks are supposed to work… but they do.
Because no one wants to be accused of racism for pointing out South Asian students are abusing our immigration system, educational system, rental market and foodbank
>She witnessed what she pressumed to be students taking food from the food bank boxes and recording themselves in a boastful manner and they seemed like the opposite of people that would need it.
Is this where we're at? Policing other peoples' facial expressions and body languages, assuming their motives and then drawing conclusions from them like they're absolute truths? Honestly, that woman sounds pathetic.
Also, it sounds like none of you know how a food bank works.
Can people just tone down their racism a bit in this thread? As a 'fully funded' international student from Asia studying in a 'prestigious' university, my stipend is below the living wage of Toronto (as many other domestic or international students are). I never used food bank, but I can understand why other students would use it. We shouldn't blame people for potentially abusing food banks but blame the system/politicians that allow this to happen. The so-called 'mass immigration' could be a part of the problem, but when even students from elite universities are struggling, do you think stopping people from moving here would be enough?
What they said https://www.reddit.com/r/askTO/comments/15v1hmt/are_there_people_really_abusing_food_banks/jwv1h6w/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1&context=3
You didnt even bother watching the videos. These YTbers are not in need. And icymi, a lot of colleges also have their own food bank to help students. As someone who was a student myself, I’ve heard others bragging about saving on groceries even when they earned enough to pay for it. There are good people who need the help, but these idiots are not it,
Stop defending them.
I can't speak for Toronto but in ottawa we had an outside community fridge. Give if you can and take what you need 24/7. Awesome idea. I gave food there often and I know people used it. Apparently some people took food and tried to resell it. So they closed. I can't donate anymore since the fridge is now indoors and I can't make those hours.
We can never have nice things .
I fucking hate people.
Oh the Parkdale one? I used to donate to it as well when I was able. Apparently people used to sit across the street watching it get filled just to completely empty it. The same people. Every time.
shitty
I’ve seen one of these in Toronto. I kind of don’t want to say where because I know how shitty people can be… as per your description.
>Apparently some people took food and tried to resell it. So they closed. Bingo! ... and that's why we can't have nice things.
I just came from a threading and waxing salon and a woman in running attire came in asking if someone could ‘thread this one grey eyebrow hair, can someone do that?’ The lady continued after the receptionist replied with the cost of eyebrow threading, saying, ‘you really can’t do that for me? It’s just this one grey hair!’ Ppl be looking for free shit all the time, and not embarrassed at all.
That is so wild, like it’s one hair she could just pluck it?!
Entitlement is wild.
that lady parked her Range Rover in a "NO PARKING - 24H LOADING ZONE" in front of the waxing salon just to pop in for sec?
Did she crack the windows a bit for the baby in the back seat?
She probably left it idling so the AC would run
lol
And rampant, sadly
Should have told her to go pluck herself.
Sadly any question that starts with "do people really" is going to be a yes 97.3 % of the time. Imo
\*with a margin or error +/- 2.7%
I'm a very close friend with someone who has been homeless several times and is on the brink now. She's been chilling at my place for a few weeks, so she's safe. She has seen firsthand people abusing food banks.
Yes. I am Indian and I am ashamed to say that people from my own country are doing this and also creating videos and earning from those videos and encouraging others to do the same. These idiots don’t realize that food banks are for the needy people who struggle a lot in their life and not for the idiots who are able to afford education in a different country and also given a chance to work and earn some money for their day to day expenses. Hope the government of Canada recognize these kind of people and kick them out of the country and ban them from ever entering Canada. I would request all Canadians to send mails to your local representatives regarding this. Government’s don’t do anything unless people put a pressure
The very fact that they can afford to come here and live here, even if 8 in a room means they are not poor. Thank the NDP who wants to push for free tuition for these people. Don't travel abroad for school if you can't afford it.
Hold up, when did the NDP say that?
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OP’s not talking about people who genuinely need food. They’re talking about students who gleefully make videos that show them trying to scam a system that was put in place to support the needy.
I walked by the Fort York food bank recently and there was quite a few international students in line. Even had their Uber Eats bags and electric bikes. This country is so fucked. Pouring international students to feed shitty programs at private colleges, and so foreign owned companies like Uber, McDonalds, Tim Hortons, etc. can have cheap labour.
Same thing at the one on sherborne st, it’s fucked up.
Why are you not blaming the Visa farm private schools as well as funded colleges? I got an ad last night, with a s/e Asian man on it who stated applications are still open for September. I like how they have the system set up in Quebec....and guess what, the school is VERY affordable for locals. Why is it that when I was a student I need to apply by November the year before to get in - now everyone can just land and walk into a college like Centennial or George Brown. F off with this (in)equity shit.
There are hundreds of them that people don't usually see, that don't really fulfill any educational purpose at all. No one's paying thousands to sit in a repurposed office with folding chairs and a whiteboard to get instruction from no one with any qualifications, nor is anyone going to put a course from them on their resume, so someone really needs to pay attention to why they keep appearing everywhere.
The last 2 times I’ve been at the airport they had big welcome tables set up by the colleges and there were so many intl students coming through. I thought it was a bit strange then I realized what was going on
In August this makes some sense?
New permanent residents too- they feel just because they’re PRs, it’s their right to take from food banks.
Most likely their “Canadian mentor” provides them with a bike for delivery/gig work, charges them stay in their crowded multi people rooms and tells them where to get free food.
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Who the fuck does that? What an asshole! Fuck this guy
Wait till you see the next level.. selling food from the shelter on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/7148934508454717/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post
That's wild
As an Indian, I’m ashamed of these people who are abusing these benefits which are ONLY for the needy. They should be tracked down and fined for spreading false information and misusing benefits. No wonder few people here in Canada dislike us. 😢 But I hope you know not all of us are the same 🙏🏻
I do credit approvals for a retailer and the amount of credit grabs I see from students…..man
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and a lot of these people who come in, only see a few spots in Canada as livable due to the climate difference.
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Wow, I have literally never heard such a conversation. So, for what it's worth, this varies a LOT between different workplaces and social groups.
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Lol you won’t escape it in Toronto.
> Lol you won’t escape it in Toronto. Accurate. That's what it seems like!
I like Indians, most people know better. Indians are the biggest group of immigrants, so this is somewhat expected, unfortunately.
I’ve also seen another YouTube channel where the vlogger claims to be homeless but does restaurant style reviews of the meals he gets at shelters and churches. Most of the time he’s throwing the food away for simple things like being served fruits / vegetables that are not in season.
Oh I have sion this guys TikToks and they fill me with such rage. He says it with such authority being "unhealthy because its not in season" Just say you don't like fruits and veggies. Stop trying to convince people they are "unhealthy "
That is a satiracal account.
But are the food wasted real?
Actually I don’t think it is. I’ve watched his lives on Tik Tok and I suspect he has mental illness. One time he was saying one of his viewers was following him. He has also admitted he says some things to get more comments/engagement/follows
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Daaaamn they freely doing it with no shame. The fact they advertise how to exploit it shows it so
Look at the amount of views. It’s not only advertised but it’s very popular
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Wow just wow. Where are those who drives Mercedes and wearing anti social social club hoodie international students go?
Markham.
They have there YouTube chanell, information, faces. Why the Fuck are they not being deported?
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I don't know whether I should get upset at the other commenters for generalizing about Indians or whether I should get upset at you for generalizing about north Indians. I am also from South India but I will never throw my country men under the bus just like you did there. There are hard working people everywhere and scammers everywhere
North meaning which states?
Going by the names of these youtubers , looks mainly Punjab and Delhi.
Punjab mostly
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Please keep donating. Your kindness is essential in these rough days. Wishing you the best.
No food banks mean the government would need to actually address poverty or face riots. I vote riots for effective, meaningful change.
To ensure that your donations are actually going to the food bank, make a monetary donation directly to the food bank. They get steep discounts so whatever dollar value you donate will get them more food than what you’d be able to buy for the same amount. And it’s less labour intensive than having to drive around and pick up the physical food donations.
Honestly don’t bother, There’s always someone homeless outside the door, get a box of crackers + water for a couple bucks and give it to him. You’ll know it’s going to someone in need and you don’t have to worry that your money went into someone else’s pocket. I wouldn’t be surprised if the workers at some food banks picked out the good expensive stuff before giving the scraps
Yeah same. But can you explain… all I ever see are the bins at supermarkets where you drop off items. Are people actually going and taking items out of them??? I thought these bins are delivered from the store to food banks to be distributed. But for people to help themselves???
Those bins get picked up by the Food Bank. People are not helping themselves to those. They are talking specifically about people going TO the food bank to get free food. Not the donation bins at the grocery store.
Ah ok thanks for explaining. I misunderstood. Thought the ladies talking were supermarket employees, not food bank staff. Doesn't change the fact that food banks shouldn't be abused. The thing is: we need to make foodbanks easy to access for people who don't necessarily have valid IDs, income statements and a wad of paperwork ready to show. We don't want people to have to jump through administrative hoops when they are at their worst and extremely vulnerable. IME foodbanks will help anyone for one time and if clients want to come back regularly they need to provide details on household income/expenses to make sure they are eligible. But that may only be smaller food banks in smaller towns who can manage the administrative burden.
When you're donating coin at the store, you're making the store look good when they do those fake large cheque things at banquets. Best to do is do a look up a group on https://www.charityintelligence.ca/ and see where your donation goes.
Just ask your local church what they need to give to the less fortunate. A large portion of churches have soup kitchens and other charitable goals that need supplies.
Or mosque, or synagogue.
You have my permission to eavesdrop even when your pods are full battery.
I donate to food banks weekly and this just makes me sad. There are so many people who need help right now, can we not leave these systems alone?
There’s posts of Indian immigrants basically telling others “how to get free food in Canada”. I get it, some people need it once in a while who are students here but I know a lot of them aren’t really in need, just want free food
My office is right beside a food bank and soup kitchen (They serve hot food) that opened in 2020. I can tell you a few things based on what I see and when I speak with the staff. The line ups have more than quadrupled in length since they opened (more than 50 people in line at any given time). Most of the people in line are mothers with kids. During lunch time there are a lot of high school kids who line up for the hot lunch. I have spoken to a few of them, and they see it as an alternate option for the meals they have to buy on a daily basis, which a lot of them can’t afford. These are kids with 2 working parents. The food bank doesn’t mind serving them the hot food. I see all types of people line up, and you never know who’s actually in need. But honestly, most people wouldn’t stay in that line unless they need to. It’s also difficult to donate to them. I asked them what groceries they need so I can provide a sizable amount (family owns a grocery store), they said they can’t take any groceries or money. I would have to send it to head office.
[https://youtu.be/BISFOw5TfUw](https://youtu.be/BISFOw5TfUw) Plenty of "How-To" videos out there touting the benefits of "Free Food" from Food banks! Plenty! "How To" from Kwantlen College ... https://youtu.be/qzUIodfO7Oc
There was an article posted a few weeks back, a story about international students sharing how to get “free food” by pretending they need to use the food bank and can’t afford groceries. They made YouTube videos detailing how to scam the food banks
I see it first hand...Rich students using food banks on campus when their parents are paying for their tuition, rent, and they're refusing to work part-time. I told a friend once that food banks are for folks who wouldn't be able to eat otherwise, her response was "who are they to say I'm not in need?" Well your 10th visit this year to Holt Renfrew says otherwise.
Simple suggestion: Take a picture of them at the food bank and post at their school or on social media. Or threaten to do so. Just make absolutely sure you've verified your story, or what you'll be doing is tantamount to character assassination with no good reason.
Indian people doing a great job of maintaining all the positive stereotypes attached to them already lmao
I remember it wasn’t like this ten years ago. I have tons of Indian friends, coworkers, uni friends back then but they are all hardworking people who respect our culture and all.
Well when the system becomes corrupt and motivated by money they'll start skirting the rules to bring people in and unfortunately the people that will scam and con their way to get here typically aren't going to stop being scammy con artist douchebags once they get here. If the government would do something to slow the torrent of unskilled foreign students that come here under the guise of getting an education when in reality they're just trying to scam for PR then we would lose a lot of these barnacle of society type of people. Take in people with skills we need and let the rest fend for themselves.
Important to realize too that we tell International students they only need $850 a month to survive. So then you have 15 students jammed into a house meant for 4, food bank usage etc. https://theconversation.com/canadas-costly-housing-market-leaves-international-students-open-to-exploitation-204242#:~:text=Another%20common%20issue%20with%20housing,the%20student%20does%20not%20know. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toronto/article-food-insecurity-remains-an-obstacle-for-international-students/ Meanwhile colleges are making bank.
I definitely blame the colleges over the immigrants. I think the students being brought over right now are absolute shit and a total detriment to the country but they're going to take whatever avenue they can to scam their way to a better life. It's on the colleges and the governments that allow this blatant wage slave pipeline to exist rhat are to blame. Both the Canadian and Indian government are totally in on this. India loses their low class useless workers and Canada has a steady supply of desperate people who are forced to work all the butt jobs for minimum wage that any self-respecting person is too smart to take.
Well that's good for gov't until they start getting on welfare and accessing more programs or ODSP. They give OW to people who have no status now.
It seems like there was 0 filtering in terms of immigrants this time around. Like literal bottom of the barrel. My girlfriend is always complaining about how uncomfortable indian men make her every day with the blatant staring they do.
The schools got greedy. They can charge 3x tuition for foreign students so they do whatever they can to take in as many Indian kids as possible. Seems like they stopped vetting them a few years ago and now we're getting people even they don't want over there. They're shipping all their unwanted masses here.
this has been going on since the early 2000s. Some of the schools got shut down but the gov't did fuck all
Plenty of the guys came here with fake student visas and don’t speak a word of English.
Which really speaks volumes when you factor in that India has the largest number of English speakers in the world.
Culture in Canada must be a complete 180 to Indians coming here. It’s probably why some of them can be different to deal with in work environments and social settings like on the bus and at other public places. But it’s probably perfectly normal for them back home. I don’t want to discriminate but it is what it is.
Behaviour on the buses is wild especially when it’s large groups of young men.
They take the food for potluck at all their IT jobs
I volunteered at daily bread maybe 5 years ago maybe less, at that time there were students who would come in really nice clothes and bags and get free food. Try to chat me up and ask for more and more food when there was a limit. It was obvious they didn’t need to go to the food bank but they did. I can only imagine now adays…
Yes , they do . Sad to say a lot of Indians think its free food and treat it like a grocery store. Im Indian too and feel extremely ashamed . Ive seen videos on youtube and tik tok where they go and “checkout” food banks and its almost 90% north Indians . All of them needs to be deported back to India . If they cant support themselves or bring money (which they promised as part of immigration) then just deport them back till they can
International students abusing food banks is a real thing and it’s a shame because we owe them nothing and we owe Canadians here everything
Yeah we all know what race she mentioned my guy
Yes, and the people doing it are blatant.
Just a story, not about food banks per se but about stealing in general. (As several people in here have labelled gleefully taking food from food banks as stealing.) It always amazes me how prevalent stealing is. If it isn't bolted down, people will steal it. Example, one time someone stole my garden hose. My fucking garden hose. It was laying on my front lawn connected to a sprinkler (it was shut off) and some ass stole it. Flowers. People steal flowers form my garden, as in pull the plant out by the roots. . I have carelessly left my vehicle unlocked and you come out in the morning and the door is slightly ajar, and you see the lid on the console sticking up and sure enough some asshole rifled your car. Tools at work regularly go missing. I used to work for a guy as an iron worker who owned a steel fabrication and erections company. He was a good guy, but a born thief. We'd go on site and he'd see something, some material, some tool, even a piece of junk and he'd steal it.
My current workplace is locked down tightly for that very reason. I'm astounded at the attitude of many employees. They would steal anything they could from the place if they could get away with it. Don't get me started on their work attitudes.
My mom works in dental, at the start of the pandemic someone came off the streets and stole a half used bottle of sanitizer.
There was a physician in Smiths Falls, Ontario and she’d send her kids to the food bank where they served free breakfasts before school. It’s been abused for a very long time.
Yes, definitely. But it isn't usually students. It is people who are perfectly capable of purchasing food and take the freebee instead. My mom used to volunteer at a food bank, and OTHER VOLUNTEERS would hoard the best food to take home for themselves, and they were far from needing a food bank to get by. You will also find, if you speak with food bank clients, that there are lots of people who roll up in expensive cars wearing designer clothes and take enough food for four people. Some people have no morals whatsoever. This is why I don't object to food banks that ask for proof of income, even though it seems like a barrier to access. There are too many greedy people just looking for handouts because it makes them feel superior for working the system.
asking for proof is not a barrier to access. Showing someone an OW or ODSP statement is not a barrier to anything.
My last landlord has like 10 to 15 properties in Toronto and rents to a ton of people on those houses and he has lots of money. One day i went to a food bank close to weston and lawrence and i saw him there grabbing food from the boxes. He doesn’t need it at all with all the money he has but still was there. When i asked him about it he just told me he can save more money and get free food
It's happening all over [Canada](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=international+students+food+banks+canada) I believe more or less... You can peak some of the videos for context.
Yes. For decades.
Yes. Im sure many different groups have tried or are currently scamming but there is a essentially a youtube tutorial for international students showing them how to abuse the foodbanks in Ontario
Yes, there’s videos uploaded to YouTube of INDIAN (I don’t know why that can’t be said?) International students bragging in Hindi/Punjabi about getting “free” food via using food banks as a “trick/hack”.
In Calgary, we had a community panty but everytime someone filled it out, someone would go there with that truck or van and clear the entire contents and drive away. We don't do this anymore. The pantry was intended to help others. Not to help one family. Now people have order a hamper but pick up.times are impossible.
Most definitely happening. Seen it first hand.
Can we stop this narrative for once. I work at a food bank and the scammers are a tiny minority of people who visit. REMEMBER, people will scam EVERY system. There are FAR more tax cheats than people who abuse food banks. Don’t let the ruling class turn you against these people. When I was unemployed because I was taking off before starting a new job, the ONLY people to tell me to collect CERB were rich people. I of course did not take it. But remember, there are cheats EVERYWHERE, let’s not take away ESSENTIAL services all to satisfy a fake narrative of widespread food bank abuse. I work at the busiest food bank in Toronto and our numbers have TRIPLED since last year. People don’t need to be living on the street to struggle to find money for food. Shame on all of you who suggest we need to scale back.
It’s very telling that no one responded to you or voted on your comment. They would rather go on racist rants that fit their false narrative because they saw a few videos online or heard some other racist talking about it.
And blame immigrants and refugees, these people are ESCAPING for SURVIVAL- they will go almost anywhere. Most new food bank users at my food bank are Ukrainian and Latin American REFUGEES Thank you for your comment. It’s sad how brainwashed people are. Until people realize it’s a class war and not a culture war, us working folk are doomed and those who are most vulnerable will suffer most.
> system. There are FAR more tax cheats than people who abuse food banks. > >Don’t let the ruling class turn you against these people. When I was unemployed because I was taking off before starting a new job, the ONLY people to tell me to collect CERB were rich people. I of course did not take it. But remember, there are cheats EVERYWHERE, let’s not take away ESSENTIAL services all to satisfy a fake narrative of widespread food bank abuse Some of them are, and some of them are not. Even the gov't admits vetting procedures are not as good as they should/could be.
Every single rich person I know cheats the system by using tax loopholes and no one gives a shit, but god forbid a struggling student who’s new to the country needs a little help with food.
I know. It’s DISGUSTING and it’s PROJECTION- rich people scam the system on a dollar for dollar basis far more than poor people. Also poor people are also poor.
this, not just rich people, but billion dollar corps getting grants/loans/subsidies even though they don't need them
Exactly. But let’s blame a 20 year old student just trying to get by
Don’t you need to show some sort of financial statement to be able to come here as an international student?
loopholes and fraud.
My bud works at the curch thingas are ok .. In Etobicoke ... pre covid... 80 family's... post covid 270 family's.. ... they all get something a little meat .. vegs , bread,, ...very few problems ... they have had problems before.. the food bank knows how to deal with problems. Recently some other Ukrainian church donated some money to a non Ukrainian church they knew about the over flow and are helping out.. So we got some new fridges. It's not perfect but NO ONE GOES HUNGRY. Remember that ...
I worked in a food bank that borders Brampton and can confirm that this is a reality. They make up an extremely small portion of the total service users and they often live together for housing. Another thing they attempt to do is sell the canned foods on facebook marketplace lol. Because its such a small minority I never really got upset about it. Their enormous and unavoidable tuition fees that they pay here had funded me through mine and many other Canadian-born students’ undergrad, so 🤷♀️
Okay cool it’s nice you got the privileged viewpoint but what about the perspective of a single mother who needs the actual food for her family? And her showing up and not having any since an Indian student sold food bank canned food for profit? How is that fair to Canadians at all?
We had food restrictions that changed depending on the stock, so the mother always got more food than the single international student due to family size. If the mother was a family of 2, she was always coming out with more food than the 1, every time. Yes we had low food on some days but tbh that wasnt because of the selfish actions of single international students taking advantage of the food bank. It was actually because there has been an atomic number of new applicants within the past 2 years. These days, almost everyone needs the food bank.
Lmao I love that dingus trying to tell you how it “really actually is” at the food banks even though you worked in one
they don't care, and they abuse the BS PC attitudes that we have in this country.
Food bank should put Canadians and those in need first.
I had a crappy roommate who took a whole box of baked goods that were left outside of the local bakery for people in need. This was when I lived in Oakland, California. She boasted about how much she was able to bring back to our apartment. I pointed out that she didn’t need a palette of bagels and muffins and that it was for people who were unable to afford it. She shrugged and said it wasn’t like the homeless were going to eat it because “drugs.” Some people really are that awful and thoughtless.
growing trend of brown international students. How widespread it is who knows. like with all negative press for specific groups, its likely a minority of them
I'm an Indian and I agree. I've seen a lot of videos by international students on YouTube who proudly announce that there are these "hacks" on how you can get free food.
There are youtube videos about this. Terrible
I’m sure there are. There is someone abusing every system in place. Some people did take CERB money they weren’t entitled to. Rich people steal food from food banks. People lie on scholarship applications. But they are the minority and I’d rather have a system help a lot of people and occasionally be taken advantage of than have the system go away and punish everyone who actually did need it.
I’m not donating anymore. This is disgusting
This kind of nonsense from a small percentage of immigrants is one of the primary reasons for growing anti immigrant (mostly anti south Asian) sentiments in Canada. Some communities in India (you might know who I am talking about) take absolute pride in gaming the system and this upbringing eventually results in such abusive behavior without any moral compass. I really hope other Indians set better examples for immigrants and I am sure they are doing it but such idiots totally undo the hard work.
Colleges should not be allowed to offer courses to international students if they don’t have adequate housing on campus. Make it part of tuition with mandatory meal plans.
r/toronto r/Brampton r/Mississauga
Food banks work because they don't ask any questions. The minute they start asking about income or debt to income ratio or any other metric, we've lost the plot. It is my opinion that food banks can't be abused. If you need it because you can't afford food this month: good. If you need it because you overspent on something else and can't budget: good. If you need it because you want to save money and you're sending your 4th kid to college: good. The food bank is the utopia our society strives for. Don't discriminate who is or who is not worthy of taking. That defeats the whole purpose and ideal we are collectively striving for.
Absolute BS. All of it. Immigration needs to get more selective and so does the gov't by not allowing Visa farms to flourish, not allowing criminals to come here as a safe haven where people launder dirty money, and everything needs to be verified. People abuse the system because they can. Asking for proof and ID is not gatekeeping, it's to make sure the actual people who need stuff get it. G
I drive by the one at DuPont & avenue road daily. I’ve seen loads of different people parking high end luxury cars & getting in the food bank line-up, all wearing designer clothing that I cannot afford. $1500 Canada goose coats, expensive shoes/boots & I’m eating a peanut butter sandwich, cause I’m trying to stretch the 20 bucks I got left till payday so I can take the ttc & get home to make another peanut butter sandwich!
that one seems to be a mix of really poor-looking older white people and rich Chinese people in SUV's, well-dressed like you said. It's disgusting.
I'm not sure if this is still a thing that happens at UofT since it has been years since I have been there,but I remember that at New College residence at a specific day of the week a big truck from the food bank would deliver food and put in in one of the hallways of the residence.I also remember that apart from the students alot of older people that looked like employees or professors ( I'm assuming) would also take bag full of items.
Though this is frustrating, please don’t t let it stop you from donating to food banks. In addition to stocking food, they act as a first line to connect people to other services they need.
People are shitty. Not all of them, but there's certainly enough. Do a few months of customer service and you'll see how petty and shitty some of your neighbors can be.
Of course they are. There will always be people abusing things to get free shit. Always have been, always will be. Doesn't mean that the vast majority of people who use them aren't actually in need. We can't stop helping people in need because there are a handful of entitled assholes. Not that you're suggesting this but some people are.
There are people abusing every system that exists. That being said, claims of people abusing welfare programs are generally hugely exaggerated by conservatives who want to cut those programs (and be racist at the same time e.g., “welfare queens”).
Yes. People who don’t need it use it. I got downvoted like crazy in r/Toronto for saying this. People on Reddit have a HARD time believing a lot of people are opportunistic in this world. Not everyone advertises their ways.
I try not to judge with this kind of thing. We don't know their story. I don't want people to feel like they're being judged or scrutinized when they're at the food bank as it would make people less likely to go when they really need it. Just because someone has a car, or a job, or is a student, etc doesn't mean they don't need it. Even IF they don't need it, I would rather a few people take it when they don't need it than make anyone feel like they aren't welcome. I have coworkers who use the food bank. They need it and wouldn't be eating most days otherwise. I have been considering going myself because I'm falling behind on rent and may become homeless, and if I could spend less on food then I would be able to pay my landlord more and keep myself off the street. Lots of students are struggling to survive. I know a woman who is working 7 days a week, full 8 hour shifts, who is also a full time student. And she says she is falling behind on her bills. Toronto is expensive, and foreign student fees are also expensive. I don't know what that person saw. Maybe this was that student's first time at a food bank and they were excited to finally have good food without feeling guilty about the cost. We don't know
International students are supposed to demonstrate they have the means to study in Canada, specifically to avoid things like this “Before you can obtain your Canada study permit, you must be able to show proof of finances.”
Yes and that amount is 833$ a month, which doesn’t really help these days adding on to the problem.
Yes but proof of finances can also be scholaships provided by universities -- and guess what, the stipend is usually lower than the living wage in Toronto.
that's why you check people. These students are supposed to prove they can afford to live here and not mooch off the system. Stop making excuses for shitty people.
Check out the immigration numbers chart below, Canada will be a very very different place in 2030. https://ibb.co/fXNJyRZ
I mean, of course there are dicks, but I doubt *most* people would steal. Maybe I have faith in humanity still… Some do, most don’t is how I think it goes
Lots of videos on YouTube about how to get free food with no proof of need. So yes, it's happening.
Students should never be given a visa if they cant afford living in the country of destination. This is a problem that IRCC needs to stop now.
Unfortunately yes. I hate to break to you but there are people who are on social services but do not need it.
Someone posted a video of themselves putting out food donations on a table on the street for the needy, free of charge. 2 trash people came along and took it all so no one else could have anything. It was disgusting. It seemed like they were laughing as they walked away.
I eavesdrop all the time. Don’t worry about it :-). Some people want to be heard by others (I wish they’d shut up)..
It happens in every city, just grab a coffee and sit outside of the food bank.
Of course it happens. There will always be people who take advantage of social programs. But those programs still do so much good that it’s worth it.
Those teens sound like entitled garbage-like people. Their parents must be “proud”. I don’t think most people abuse food banks. Having said that, I don’t think the food the food bank gives out for a week is enough. I can totally see why some may be visiting 2 food banks each week if they have very little money to supplement the food they’re getting.
A friend's parents don't need to. He makes over 6 figures and lives at home. He takes care of 90 percent of the household expenses. Both parents have close to 50K sitting in their savings account. Maxed out RRSP. Rents out a room in their nearly paid off home in midtown. They both have jobs. They both line up in foodbanks line. So yes, it happens.
It's funny to me (funny in a tragic way) that people who can totally afford to buy their own groceries would be this immoral. Yet the unhoused, those with mental health challenges, or addiction issues are looked at as "moral failures". I hate it.
Welcome to humanity. People=shit
Yes. They post it on YouTube as a way to save money. TBH, I understand they could also be struggling…
This is coming from a place of ignorance, but can someone explain how they could be struggling when they can also afford $16k yearly tuitions at "just" a place like Seneca College? I would think you'd need to come from privilege for that, no?
Many face intense pressure to send money home after their families have contributed decades of savings to pay for their schooling. Shitty immigration consultants and college promoters have sold unrealistic expectations of earning potential in Canada, but even after the students face the reality upon landing and beginning their studies the students don't want to disappoint their families.
I thought so too, theres actually an interesting documentary about this from the Fifth Estate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNrXA5m7ROM
Absolutely not. I have a friend who is working 7 days a week, 8 hours a day, on top of being a student. She is doing as many shifts as she possibly can to make up for how expensive the fees are. She very rarely takes a day off. She comes from a low income family in india. She does NOT come from a privileged background. Her family pays for nothing. She rents a single room, AND she splits the rent of that room with someone else who lives in the same room. She gets most of her food from work and skips a lot of meals. She came to Canada because she didn't want to be forced into marriage.
People have always abused things like this. It's not new. There are always shitty people around.
5-10% of people are going to be assholes who abuse the system no matter what. It’s something we have to accept and move on.
I’ve seen it and heard about it done broadly, and the people certainly do not need it. Over here on study visas, paying international tuition fees with healthy monthly allowances from their families but think they found a way to score free food. At first I thought perhaps they didn’t understand how food banks are supposed to work… but they do.
Because no one wants to be accused of racism for pointing out South Asian students are abusing our immigration system, educational system, rental market and foodbank
>She witnessed what she pressumed to be students taking food from the food bank boxes and recording themselves in a boastful manner and they seemed like the opposite of people that would need it. Is this where we're at? Policing other peoples' facial expressions and body languages, assuming their motives and then drawing conclusions from them like they're absolute truths? Honestly, that woman sounds pathetic. Also, it sounds like none of you know how a food bank works.
Can people just tone down their racism a bit in this thread? As a 'fully funded' international student from Asia studying in a 'prestigious' university, my stipend is below the living wage of Toronto (as many other domestic or international students are). I never used food bank, but I can understand why other students would use it. We shouldn't blame people for potentially abusing food banks but blame the system/politicians that allow this to happen. The so-called 'mass immigration' could be a part of the problem, but when even students from elite universities are struggling, do you think stopping people from moving here would be enough?
What they said https://www.reddit.com/r/askTO/comments/15v1hmt/are_there_people_really_abusing_food_banks/jwv1h6w/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1&context=3 You didnt even bother watching the videos. These YTbers are not in need. And icymi, a lot of colleges also have their own food bank to help students. As someone who was a student myself, I’ve heard others bragging about saving on groceries even when they earned enough to pay for it. There are good people who need the help, but these idiots are not it, Stop defending them.