SNIWWOC offers free food delivery and care packages to community members unable to get supplies during COVID-19
MEDIA CONTACT
Dominique Jacobs
Communications & Resource Development Coordinator
Support Network for Indigenous Women and Women of Color
203-2722 Fifth Street
Victoria BC V8T 4B2
domi@sniwwoc.ca
250-277-2545
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Support Network for Indigenous Women and Women of Color (SNIWWOC) offers free food delivery and care packages to community members who are unable to get supplies during COVID-19 quarantine.
Victoria, B.C. Canada. Saturday, April 2, 2021: From inception of the Covid-care package program in December 2020, SNIWWOC has delivered almost 60 of the emergency-care units across two provinces, B.C. and Ontario. A year after COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), it continues to disproportionately affect BIPOC communities across Canada. SNIWWOC remains dedicated to providing support to community members who have been affected.
The pandemic has created unprecedented challenges to individuals and communities, particularly women and youth who identify as Black, Indigenous or persons of colour. A report by the Canadian Medical Association showed that 85% of the risk of illness is related to factors such as income, housing, education, access to health care, and the negative and pervasive effects of systemic racism, while only 15% can be attributed to the genetic determinants of illness.
During this time of record unemployment and new surge of illness in Toronto, many need support, specifically those with positive COVID-19 test results or those quarantining as they wait for test results. Considering a gap in services, SNIWWOC is offering a one-time COVID-19 care package of groceries and medicine delivered directly to them through a grocery delivery service.
Qualifying Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Colour, including transgender and two-spirit community members who are living in Victoria, Duncan, Vancouver and Toronto, are able to apply for this one-time care package on the SNIWWOC website. Additionally, traditional medicines and female hygiene kits are also available and include: a bath purse, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste, sanitary pads, soap, and deodorant.
Victoria community members residing within a 30-minute drive from SNIWWOC’s head office will be able to claim the traditional medicine package, delivered by local volunteers, who ensure safe distancing at all times. Residents living in the greater Vancouver and Toronto area will have their traditional medicine packages shipped to them.
Please ensure that qualifications have been met when applying. SNIWWOC is grateful to be able to support the community in this much-needed way. The program is funded in part by the Indigenous Peoples Resilience Fund (IPRF).
Source:
https://policybase.cma.ca/en/viewer?file=%2fdocuments%2fPolicyPDF%2fPD13-03.pdf