Latest news with #AndyHarrington
CTV News
21-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Canadian aid worker calls for sustained investment in fighting global hunger on World Refugees Day
Bags of food from USAID are seen in South Sudan in this file photo. Nearly 300 million people around the world are at risk of starvation, according to the recently released Global Report on Food Crises. Many of those are refugees and internally displaced people. On World Refugee Day Friday, CTV News Vancouver spoke to Andy Harrington, a Fraser Valley resident and the executive director of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, which is a major partner in the federal government's international development program. Harrington recently spent time in South Sudan, where years of internal conflict and a civil war raging in neighbouring Sudan have exacerbated hunger at a time when the United States and other nations are cutting back on food aid and other humanitarian spending in foreign countries. 'Many of the children in South Sudan – and certainly refugees that have come across the border from Sudan – are chronically malnourished,' he said. 'Some are acutely malnourished, which is worse.' Harrington recounted being at a malnutrition centre on the day a worker there had to inform the population it served that it would be closing in 24 hours due to aid cutbacks. 'Refugees and displaced people are right at the front of the queue for getting their services cut – and those services are absolutely minimal at the current situation,' he said. 'Being in a situation where people are literally trying to thrust babies at us – it was hard to see.' The 294 million people experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity around the world in 2024 was twice as many as fell into the same category in 2020. This year was the sixth straight that the Global Report on Food Crises recorded an increase in the number of people experiencing this level of hunger. The report also found that there were more people experiencing famine-like conditions in 2024 than in all of the previous seven years combined. The majority of people in that situation are located in either Sudan or Gaza. Harrington's plea for Canadians that they don't allow their governments to follow the trend of other countries that have been reducing foreign aid. 'We have many, many needs here in Canada,' he acknowledged. 'We have a cost of living crisis. We have food issues here, as well. It is absolutely true. But, we're Canadians and we can do more than one thing at the same time. We have to understand that the values-based world we live in as Canadians is under threat and we have to stand up for that.' With files from CTV News Vancouver's Spencer Harwood
Cision Canada
08-05-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Decade-long partnership between Viterra and Canadian Foodgrains Bank pushes forward the fight to end global hunger
, May 8, 2025 /CNW/ - As millions face rising hunger in 2025 due to war, climate disasters, and soaring food costs, Viterra and Canadian Foodgrains Bank are commemorating a decade of collaboration in the ongoing fight to end hunger. The two Canadian organizations have worked together for ten consecutive years through a land donation program, with Viterra providing land around multiple terminals in Alberta and Saskatchewan to the Foodgrains Bank. The donated land is used by volunteer farmers to grow crops that are harvested and then sold on the Canadian market, with the proceeds given to Foodgrains Bank, supporting local partner organizations overseas who are working to end hunger through urgent humanitarian responses and long-term solutions to food insecurity. These farmers donate their time and resources either as part of a community-led growing project, or as a notable addition to their own farmwork. "Canadian Foodgrains Bank continues to play a vital role in responding to the global hunger crisis and ensuring that vulnerable communities are not forgotten, especially in the world's hardest-hit areas like Sudan," says Andy Harrington, executive director of the Foodgrains Bank. "We're very grateful for the ongoing support of Viterra as we do all we can, together with Canadian organizations and supporters across the country, to end global hunger." Viterra terminals in Lethbridge and Trochu in Alberta and in Balgonie, Grenfell, and Raymore in Saskatchewan totalling 267 acres are being seeded on behalf of the Foodgrains Bank. "As a leading global agricultural company, we are proud to support the Foodgrains Bank and the important work they do to fight hunger around the world," says Kyle Jeworski, CEO for Viterra Canada. "We are also grateful for our farm customers, who give generously and work hard to ensure the success of our growing projects each year." Food security projects implemented through the Foodgrains Bank network include both humanitarian response projects that help people affected by conflicts and natural disaster, as well as development projects that help people reduce their vulnerability to hunger and improve their resiliency in the longer-term, often through conservation agriculture training. In 2023-24, this assistance reached nearly one million people in 35 countries around the world. In addition to providing the land, Viterra will also provide the Foodgrains Bank with a donation of $5 for each tonne of crops donated to the organization through any of its grain elevators in western Canada. About Viterra At Viterra, we believe in the power of connection. Our world-leading, fully integrated agriculture network connects producers to consumers with sustainable, traceable and quality-controlled agricultural products. With more than 17,500 talented employees operating in 37 countries, our strategic network of storage, processing and transport assets enable us to offer innovative solutions and open pathways for our customers, creating successful partnerships that last. Together, we are stronger, and achieve more. About Canadian Foodgrains Bank Canadian Foodgrains Bank is a partnership of 15 churches and church agencies working together to end hunger. In the 2023-24 budget year, the Foodgrains Bank provided $68.3 million of assistance for 974,683 people in 35 countries. Canadian Foodgrains Bank programs are undertaken with support from the Government of Canada provided through Global Affairs Canada. Assistance from the Foodgrains Bank is provided through its member agencies, which work with local partners in the developing world. SOURCE Viterra Canada Inc.
