Do you feel like the last three months of the year are a blur? The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas and the dropping of the ball at New Year’s Eve goes by very fast. It’s often party central with friends and family, right? What if one of these parties was to fundraise for a good cause? It would make your gathering extra special AND do some good for the community. The Big Social is that cause to raise money AND awareness to resolve the problem of food insecurity – one dinner party at a time.
What is The Big Social?
The Big Social is a party that you host. It could be brunch, dinner, open house at school or cocktails at work — anything you can dream it to be. You invite your friends to a meal, and instead of bringing a hostess gift or a bottle of wine, you fundraise for a good cause. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Here’s how:
- Pick a date between November 1 and 10.
- Register your event here.
- Set a theme for your party and a fundraising goal.
- Invite your friends to sample your culinary delights (or misadventures – there’s no judging at your party)
- Instead of bringing you a gift, ask them to donate to a good cause.
- Have a fabulous time, take lots of pictures, eat good food and feel good.
The Big Social is a fundraising event that wants to resolve the ongoing problem of food insecurity and support the Community Food Centres of Canada.
What is food insecurity?
Oxford dictionary defines food security as “the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.” According to Statistics Canada, food insecurity exists within a household when one or more members do not have access to the variety or quantity of food that they need due to lack of money. In Canada, that’s about 4 million people! Hold on it gets worse! This insecurity exists in a country where about 58 percent of the food produced is either lost or wasted. This paradox in how we grow our food, how we consume it, and the circumstances where we throw away more than half of it, exacerbates the situation for so many families.
People with food insecurity also tend to be in poor health, have physical and/or mental disabilities and may suffer from depression. This, in turn, limits their ability to find or hold on to stable, long-term employment. It becomes a vicious cycle that repeats itself.
What can we do?
Host a party for starters. Or attend your friend’s party and encourage them to donate to a good cause. You would be amazed how far a small amount can go towards feeding people a healthy, nutritious meal. And if you are busy and can’t host an event, you can still make a tax-deductible general donation here.
But let’s not stop there. Food insecurity is a problem that needs to be attacked from both sides. Take a long, hard look at your kitchen and pantry. Have you fallen into the trap of food waste? None of us consciously chooses to throw away good food, but often our work routines and life choices get in the way of good intentions.
Make a commitment to reduce food waste from your kitchen. Check out my public initiative where I share tips on how to reduce food waste. It’s such a huge problem I even addressed it in my recent TV segment here.
They say “a problem shared is a problem solved.” Let’s share this burden too. Throw a party, donate to a good cause, and let’s work together for better food for all.
