Poor Canadians

Despite living in a province rich with natural resources, hundreds of thousands of British Columbians struggle to make ends meet. One in five children in B.C. live in poverty.

About 678,000 people live in poverty in B.C., one of the highest levels in the country. Of that group, nearly 40 per cent are adults working for low wages.

Feezah Jaffer, executive director of the Surrey Food Bank, said she sees that statistic reflected every day. "A lot of our clients are the working poor," Jaffer said. "You have people coming that are hardworking, they are resilient, they are just trying to keep their heads above water. More and more, what we are seeing is single-parent families, or two-parents families with a single income or multiple part-time jobs, with young children just trying to make it work," she said.

Isobel is a single mother who works full-time in customer service. She said she needs the money she saves by coming to the food bank to pay for other family expenses.  

"My job doesn't pay me enough, that is why I am here," she said. "When I have to come and pick up some food, some fresh vegetables, diapers and canned food, I have to say that it's really helpful."