Grocery shopping for a week for $25, is that really possible? The Chicoutimi Anti-Poverty Table hosted an immersion activity into the realities of low-income people on Monday that required participants to open a grocery store on a small budget. Our journalist at TVA Nouvelles tried the experiment.
The action, originally designed for political actors, quickly took a different turn, although none of them showed up on site. Therefore TVA Nouvelles joined the game.
A scenario was used to present several typical profiles to highlight the reality of these people.
The typical profile of the journalist was an immigrant with a closed residence permit and monthly expenses such as rent, cell phone, bus ticket and money sent to his family. His weekly grocery budget was $25.
Verdict: The journalist managed to purchase groceries worth a total of $24.90. On the other hand, she had to go without some essential things such as milk, bread, fruit and vegetables.
More and more urgent needs
In contrast to the previous year, there was an increase of 16% in food aid in September 2023, explains Chicoutimi Anti-Poverty Table spokeswoman Annie Jean-Lavoie. 12,665 people received food assistance this year, compared to 8,003 people last year, an increase of 58%.
“In Saguenay, the average social assistance is 880 people per month. The average cost of housing is $991. We are already unable to meet our needs,” concludes the coordinator of the LASTUSE organization in Saguenay, Sylvain Bergeron.
The full statement can be found above