Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Dianne Swinemar, executive director of Feed Nova Scotia, on receiving an honorary doctorate of civil law from St. Mary's University. This degree recognizes Ms. Swinemar's outstanding leadership in community activism.
I had the pleasure of working with Ms. Swinemar and I have long admired her commitment to ending chronic hunger and alleviating poverty.
Dianne led the transition of the Metro Food Bank Society from a Halifax based distribution centre to Feed Nova Scotia, a provincial food collection and distribution centre serving 150 food banks and meal programs province-wide. During the 2008 fiscal year, Feed Nova Scotia distributed 1.8 million kilograms of donated food valued at $14.4 million to local feeding programs across the province.
I ask the House to join me, her husband Lloyd, and her daughters Rebecca and Jennifer, in congratulating Ms. Swinemar on this well-deserved honour.