By: Izzy Cheung, Staff Writer
To celebrate Asian Heritage Month, SFU’s faculty of health sciences and the BC Centre for Disease Control collaborated to bring students a virtual event on “Food Insecurity in Asian Communities.” This event included a panel of community leaders who combat food insecurity in Asian communities.
The panel of speakers was made up of representatives from four local organizations: Ahmad Zeividavi, the executive director of the House of Omeed; Celyne Asnani and Anita Lau from Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice; Danison Buan, founder of ReFood; and Tara Flynn of SFU Food Pantry. Each spoke at length about their respective organizations’ impact in the community as well as ways in which others can contribute.
The panellists were asked a variety of questions on the significance of cultural foods. Asnani highlighted how culturally-appropriate food can be “something that reminds [immigrants] of home,” which allows them to find “a sense of belonging” in a foreign setting.
While food banks may try to offer diverse food selections, Flynn noted “there’s no possible way to provide [ . . . ] all variet[ies].” Zeividavi compared food banks to the “one size fits all” misconception: food banks are not always mindful of diverse cultures that cannot eat certain meats or produce.
Buan noted food insecurity is sometimes a “hidden” issue because most Asian cultures are hesitant to ask for help. He added all cultures are different and that working with different communities will require different approaches. “You have to understand, each culture is different,” Buan stated.
Lao noted, “Once they notice that you are willing to help, they are very, very open and willing to tell you how they want you to help them.”
Zeividavi also found the communities served by House of Omeed behave differently. He cited that within the communities they serve, asking for help is “a major issue.” This is because “they don’t want to be ashamed,” he elaborated. “After all, it’s a shame and honour culture and that really plays into it.”
Dignity plays a big part in the House of Omeed’s food distribution model, according to Zeividavi. “Our model is a shopping experience,” Zeividavi clarified. “Each family at our facility gets a credit [ . . . ] they come in and shop from our store.”
“[The shopping experience] really resonated with our guests,” he explained. “That has been helping their dignity.”
The situation is similar with university students. “There’s a lot of shame around not being able to feed themselves,” Flynn said. “Most often, they’re just coping [with food insecurity] by skipping meals.”
Many communities within Metro Vancouver are impacted by food insecurity. As demonstrated by the speakers, there are many different ways to support the organizations that help combat food insecurity. This can include lobbying for more equitable policies.
Affordability is a problem stressed by both Asnani and Buan. “A lot of the insecurity out there is more tied towards the level of income you have,” Buan shared. He noted finding a solution “comes down to [addressing] a lot of these affordabilities.”
“The one thing that comes up all the time is about how expensive the rent is [ . . . ] it’s not really affordable for a lot of the low-income seniors that we work with,” Asnani discussed. “I think the government needs to do a lot more than what they are doing now.”
When asked for any concluding thoughts, Buan urged people to get involved in the conversation. “Having these kinds of discussions and having this safe space where we can discuss and share our ideas and build that awareness,” Baun said. “That’s the first step.”
