Stomach Pains

Monday night we partied - or rather we ate. It was an ironic end to something of a difficult week.My wife and I co-direct the London Food Bank. I've held that role for 23 years as a volunteer, while my wife Jane has also been with the organization from the beginning. Along with some other families we opted to take the Food Bank Challenge to help highlight our Spring Food Drive. The drive itself was a resounding success, especially when you consider we received about 30% more food than we did during the same event last year.The challenge required us to go to the food bank itself and get the same kind of food hamper that a family of five visiting the organization would receive. The kids, all three from Darfur, were dubious from the beginning. For obvious reasons they love their food and they viewed the coming few days with a sense of foreboding. We got home, opened up the hamper and saw the disappointment on their faces. Sure, there was some Raisin Bran and a bag of chocolate chip cookies, but other than that there was nothing they really particularly enjoyed.By the third day we were struggling. It was a personal challenge because many of the events I went to as an MP offered up goodies - morsels that looked even more appealing in my hungry state. Being true to the challenge, however, I refused to partake. We were asked out by others during the week for dinner but we declined.By week's end we had a minor revolt on our hands. The kids were famished and my stomach felt the emptiness. The other families who undertook the challenge all reported the same thing. We did our best to explain to our kids that life had been like this for them in Darfur and that this should remind them of others in Canada who suffer for want of something in their stomachs. They didn't really get it; since coming to Canada, they view this country as one giant fridge.So, when it ended Monday night, we partied. We ordered Chinese food, a movie, and popcorn. For the kids, they've moved on already - the lessons of a difficult week perhaps forgotten. But for a member of parliament, the week became something of a conscience matter. At our food bank, where we once fed 2500 families a month a few short months ago, we now feed over 3,000. Over 80% of those families come four times a year or less; 50% come only once a year. But now it's becoming desperate. Former auto workers out of benefits, university students facing high tuitions, part-timers suddenly let go from their jobs, seniors struggling on fixed pensions - these are the faces of the food bank and they stand out in bold relief in my mind as a result of the challenge.For one week I struggled with my family on little food. And then I partied! For these families there is no such pot at the end of the rainbow. They are us, and they are growing. This country is in hard times. I'm glad I stayed on as director when I got elected - it keeps me grounded in my community. But as an MP, it has left me with the haunting feeling that we have to do more. We have to do better. For those merely interested in politics, this blog will mean little. But for those interested in humanity and comprehend its importance to the political order, this post couldn't be more timely.