Mr. Speaker, some 120,000 people in the Ottawa area have incomes below the poverty line and some 35,000 of them obtain food aid monthly. Nearly half the people receiving food aid are children.
To provide help to these people over the holidays, the parliamentary interns have decided to organize a food drive. Between November 30 and December 11, boxes for non-perishable items will be placed in the cafeterias of the Centre, East and West blocks and the Wellington and Confederation buildings.
The parliamentary interns will also be visiting office staff to remind them of their drive and to collect food and money for the Outaouais and Ottawa-Carleton food banks.
Many families are counting on our generosity.