The face of poverty in Edmonton is far too diverse to describe.
Just pay a visit to the Mustard Seed Church during their evening meal service and you’ll see that poverty pays no attention to age, sex, creed or colour.
Grandmothers bring their grandchildren; middle-aged, single, Caucasian women wait in line; and young aboriginal men thank the volunteers profusely for the food.
That’s the face of poverty in Edmonton and it’s a typical evening at the Mustard Seed.
“People of all income levels are experiencing hardship around finances that they’ve never experienced before,” said Joanne Currie, spokesperson for the United Way. “They’re seeing people at the food bank who they’ve never seen at the food bank before.”
It could happen to anyone. A bump in the road, an illness, a loss of a job. Unforeseen circumstances happen all the time.
“We still have a tremendous amount of people, including children, that are in poverty” Currie said. “It seems to be that there are more people needing more support these days.”
Homeward Trust is an organization in Edmonton that helps the homeless population. Twice a year they hold an event called Homeless Connect where people can meet with different service providers.
