Supporting Single-Parent Families!

My name is Danielle, and I am a psychiatric nursing student at Stenberg College. I am hoping to raise funds for a local charity in the Tri-Cities area called Food Bank on Wheels.

As a part of my project in our Advanced Mental Health Nursing Theory class, we chose to base our mental health promotion project on a local charity in the Tri-Cities area called Food Bank on Wheels and bring awareness to the mental health challenges and other barriers that exist for single-parent families and how we can help these individuals.

Parenting is challenging and grueling, and the strain that comes with parenting a child alone can be overwhelming. When one is exclusively in charge of taking care of a child, covering the expenses, and satisfying all the child's needs, the parent’s mental health could suffer as anxiety may worsen. According to Lipman, Offord, and Boyle (1997), they concluded from their investigation of the sociodemographic, physical, and mental health traits of single moms in Ontario that the likelihood of mental health challenges is particularly high for low-income single moms. The Mental Health Foundation (2023) in the United Kingdom also had similar results from their poll surveying 6,000 adults, concluding that in comparison with 73% of the general population, almost nine out of ten (89%) single parents expressed feeling anxious in the past two weeks, with 86% of those single parents who felt anxiety in the two weeks prior saying it had impacted their day-to-day activities. We have found in these articles that anxiety is more prevalent in single parents than in other people. Other challenges that single-parent families faced also includes sleep deprivation, inadequate self-care, financial insecurity, weak or non-existing support networks, increasing demands on a child with special needs, a history of abuse, and stigma and judgment, to name a few (Lindholm, 2016).

"Our goal is to raise awareness and to help those of Single Parent clients that have mental health issues in the family, domestic violence, PTSD, depression with some of the parents, but also mental health issues with their children, be it depression, self-esteem or autism to name a few. These clients are not remembered as those who really need these services, poverty is not just a financial problem but also a health problem that also causes poverty and handicaps those needing assistance. This service is an important step in helping them overcome this disability in their lives." - FBOW

With that, we found FOOD BANK ON WHEELS, which is a Mobile Home Delivery Food Hamper Service providing perishable and non-perishable food hampers to single-parent families who are in need due to low income and who cannot go to a regular food bank due to ILLNESS or DISABILITY in the family.

The estimated purchase cost of each hamper is $100–$125. Due to the rising cost of food and fuel that is driving up the cost of each food hamper they provide, your kind and generous donations will help to cover this cost so they can continue to help single-parent families that rely on their Home Delivery Service. Your donation can buy staple food necessities for each family, such as milk, rice, eggs, cereal, apples, onions, cheese, carrots, potatoes, margarine, fruits and vegetables, and turkey or ham for easter and Christmas food hampers

Food donation drop-off bins are also available and are located at the following sites:

City Avenue Market

2627 Shaughnessy Street

Port Coquitlam

9:00am - 8:00pm

Sabzi Mandi Supermarket

12169 Harris Road

Pitt Meadows

9:00am - 8:00pm

Journey Chrysler Dodge Jeep

Sales Office

1300 Dominion Ave

Port Coquitlam

A&D Euro Deli

1037 Ridgeway Ave,

Coquitlam

11:00 - 6:00pm (Tue- Sun)

Freshmart PoCo

2535 Shaughnessy Street

Port Coquitlam

8:00am - 8:00pm

Your contribution will directly benefit the families who rely upon this service, and no contribution is too little. We recognize that not everyone has the financial means to contribute, but even your willingness to spread the word about this initiative among your loved ones and on social media can have a significant impact.

Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity!

Sincerely,

Danielle