Participant Profiles

Meet the people participating in the Challenge this week.

Name:  Tony Campbell

Occupation/Position: Self employed/Franklin Self Storage,Store All

Favourite food: Thai  food

Guiltiest food pleasure: Thai food

Family size: Three , and soon to be four ! However it will only be myself participating in the Do the Math Challenge .

Estimate of how much you and your family spend on food per week: Approximately $150.00

Why you are participating in this project: I am participating in this project so that I may , to the best of my ability , give the Cambridge Poverty Reduction Roundtable and the Planning Committee a true picture of my experience with eating  from a food bank hamper for Five days .

Why is this issue important to you?:  This issue is important to me as I believe that nourishing  food is a necessity for the health and well being of all members of our community .

Name:  Rob Heintz

Occupation/Position:  Pastor of Cambridge Community Church

Favourite food: Anything Italian

Guiltiest food pleasure:  Triple espressos on ice

Family size: 2 adults

Estimate of how much you and your family spend on food per week: $100

Why you are participating in this project:

I want to be able to understand the journey those who do not have enough food go through.  People have things to teach us which help us become better people. If I can understand the struggles others go though I can respond in a better way to help them out. I can also better empathize with them.

Why is this issue important to you?:

• I love people and want to help them help themselves. I also want to stand up for them as a voice to the connections and circles I am involved in.
•  It’s also what God calls us to do: to respect, protect and care for the poor, the vulnerable and all those with social needs; with the hope that meeting these needs will lead them toward social and spiritual transformation.

Name:  Kevin Swayze       

Occupation/Position: Newspaper Reporter

Favourite food:  Fresh picked asparagus smothered with butter

Guiltiest food pleasure: Semi-sweet chocolate chunks dipped in chunky peanut butter, served with gourmet vanilla ice cream.

Family size: four

Estimate of how much you and your family spend on food per week: $130

Why you are participating in this project: To learn about what I write about – and to educate my children about the world around them. One of my children, Theresa, 12, is joining me in the project.

Why is this issue important to you?:  People too often vilify the poor, blaming them for circumstances they don’t always have control over.  I’m pretty sure most people don’t enjoy going to the food bank to ask for their next meal, so I’m happy to help spread a little bit of reality to people with two cars in the garage.

Name:   Debra Brown

Occupation/Position:  Director, Community Relations, YMCA

Favourite food: chocolate

Guiltiest food pleasure:  double chocolate

Family size:  4

Estimate of how much you and your family spend on food per week:  $300

Why you are participating in this project:

I was a single mom on social assistance. I know what it was like to raise a son with next to nothing.  I want others to know that people like me that were on social assistance can get off of it and give back, and most do!

Why is this issue important to you?:

I think people on social assistance have sometimes been portrayed as lazy people who don’t want to work, and as wanting to be on social assistance.  This sentiment continues to permeate society as a leftover from the Harris government.  I believe these stereotypes and assumptions need to be challenged. 

Name:  Doug Craig

Occupation/Position: Mayor

Favourite food: Pizza

Guiltiest food pleasure: Ice Cream, Good & Plenty candies

Family size: 2

Estimate of how much you and your family spend on food per week: $200

Why you are participating in this project: To support the Food Bank

Why is this issue important to you?:  Its important to get a grassroots understanding of what some famlies are experiencing

Name: Kris Cummings

Occupation/Position: Funder

Favourite food:  a good stir fry with sticky rice

Guiltiest food pleasure:  that would be pie (specifically my grandmother’s!)

Family size: two

Estimate of how much you and your family spend on food per week: $100

Why you are participating in this project: To have the experience of eating for a week from food assistance, to help illustrate the experience to others.  I think that, as a society, the more that we can understand each others’ experiences, the better we’ll be at supporting each other when we need – and we all need help at some point.

Why is this issue important to you?:   I grew up in a family that, although stable and comfortable, definitely had to do a fair bit of “making-do.”  Being worried about making ends meet added a lot of stress to our lives.  I work in the not-for-profit community service sector, and many of the services I have been involved with support families and individuals who are living in far tougher circumstances than I’ve ever experienced, as well as others who need some support and opportunity to achieve better circumstances for the long run.  The bottom line is that I believe in community with members who support one-another during hard times, and help each other, through the short or long-term, to build a good life. 

Name: Dave Smith

Occupation/Position: Personal Trainer, High School Business Teacher

Favourite food: Steak (medium rare, preferably with a side of asparagus)

Guiltiest food pleasure: Pizza!

Family size: 2

Estimate of how much you and your family spend on food per week: $150

Why you are participating in this project: I think it will be an eye-opener (for me and anyone who learns about it).  I am quite particular when it comes to diet, therefore have become used to spending a lot of money on food without even thinking twice.  Hopefully this program will be a reality check: Not everyone has the luxury of buying whatever they want at the grocery store. Maybe there are ways for people like myself to help this situation.

Why is this issue important to you? I run a fitness business and therefore spend a lot of time thinking/learning about nutrition and proper dieting.  So many people have the means to eat a healthy diet but choose not to, while others would likely love to be able to eat healthy foods regularly without breaking their budgets.  I suspect that these people who depend on food banks/food hampers are missing out on key components of a proper diet - I'd like to see if this is the case and then learn how I can help ensure that their nutritional needs are being met in the future.

Name:  Steve Adams

Occupation/Position: Pastor

Favourite food: Good Hamburger

Guiltiest food pleasure: Cheese Cake

Family size: 5

Estimate of how much you and your family spend on food per week: $130

Why you are participating in this project: To gain a greater understanding

Why is this issue important to you?:  One purpose of our church is to bless other people