If you are like most people who enjoy helping the less privileged, then you should help curb the issue of hunger in Ottawa by donating non-perishable food items to the poor at the Ottawa Book Expo.

Canada is one of the most developed nations in the world, and Ottawa is also one of the most prosperous areas of Canada. This is why it comes as a surprise to many, that there are a lot of people in Ottawa who cannot afford to feed themselves. If you look closely enough, you will find that there are a lot of people in Ottawa who still look through garbage cans for food to eat. And this is not just among the homeless population. Working families are also struggling to put food on the table.

"There's a lot of hidden hunger in Ottawa," said Rachael Wilson, director of communications and development at the Ottawa Food Bank, once quoted in the Ottawa Citizen. "People are living paycheque to paycheque. There's a lot happening in Ottawa we're not talking about."

For this reason, the Ottawa Book Expo has taken the initiative to organize a food drive that would go along with the event. The Expo invites attendees to donate non-perishable food items from 10 AM to 5 PM on Sunday, October 20, 2019, in the Horticulture Building of Lansdowne Park in the Glebe. For those who cannot make it to the venue, a donation can be made online. The Eventbrite page states “If you can't make it, please make a donation through Eventbrite and we will consult with the Ottawa Mission and other local food banks on what their greatest needs are as far as food.”

The Ottawa Citizen reports that three Ottawa ridings have among the highest per capita food bank use in the province, according to a “hunger map” released Wednesday by Feed Ontario.

Ottawa-Vanier had the highest food bank use of any riding in the province — 15 in 100 residents visited a food bank in 2018, according to the data behind the interactive map.

Two other Ottawa ridings were in the top 10 in Ontario. In Ottawa South, nine in 100 people accessed a food bank last year. In Ottawa West-Nepean, it was eight in 100 people. It was not much better in Ottawa Centre, with seven out of 100 people.

For these reasons, you are encouraged to help support the food drive and efforts made to secure the event to facilitate the food drive during the event.Ottawa Book Expo doesnot receive funding from any level of government. The food drive is sponsored by Journal de Gatineau and The Canadian Business Daily.

Apart from feeding the poor, the book festival is supposed to also link upcoming and veteran authors and others in the book industry to showcase their amazing work. It is going to be aday of literary culture held in Lansdowne Park. The event will start at 10 a.m. and will close at 5 p.m. on Sunday, October 20th, 2019.