Christmas Orange a Reminder of the Right to Food
"During the holidays, when food plays such a role in families' celebrations and traditions, the PEI Working Group for a Livable Income has a message to share about every person's right to healthy and safe food," says Michelle MacCallum, a Working Group member.
The livable income organization is distributing a free greeting card with a simple image of an orange in a child's hands and a simple message: "Where there is hunger, it's not food that is lacking, but justice." The bilingual card will be available at locations people make donations of turkeys for seasonal food drives.
Says Marie Burge, a Working Group member, "The card is a gift to people and organizations who make donations, but it is a gift with a reminder. That reminder is that people have a right to food. Charity must always go hand in hand with justice, fairness, and equity if we want a world where people are not forced to depend on others for food."
The Working Group hopes the greeting card's image of an orange will resonate with many Islanders' memories of Christmas in lean times. "I remember getting an orange in my stocking for Christmas," says Working Group member Leo Garland. "Sometimes there wasn't much else, let me tell you."
The Working Group for a Livable Income's greeting card is designed to printed on a sheet of ordinary letter-sized paper. Anyone who would like a printable electronic copy to distribute can e-mail Working Group member Jane Ledwell at jlacsw@isn.net.
The Working Group for a Livable Income is a coalition of organizations that believe that all citizens of PEI have a right to an income that allows them to live in good health and with dignity. For more information about the Working Group, please contact member organization Cooper Institute at (902) 894-4573 or cooper@isn.net