Recently, in Hanover, Ont., 80-year-old June requested items for The Salvation Army food bank in lieu of birthday cards and gifts. She received more than 140 items. She suggests this is a great way to celebrate. You help the less fortunate and it makes you feel good about yourself.

Poverty comes in all shapes and forms and Salvation Army food bank organizers are seeing more and more working poor using their services.

Salvation Army officers/pastors, staff and volunteers are working to raise overall awareness regarding the problem of poverty in Canada. The child poverty rate remains at 11.7%; exactly the same as it was in 1989 and the average low income family survives on an annual income that is $9,000 to 11,000 below Statistics Canada’s before tax low income cut-off.

The Salvation Army’s national advertising campaign highlights the problem of poverty in Canada under the tagline “Poverty shouldn’t be a life sentence.”

Birthdays are a good time to remember how privileged we are and that there are people out there who are not.