FAPO

YouTube of "Plate Left Empty" Budget Presentation by Common Front for Social Justice

2011-05-07T19:19:00.000-03:00

May 4, 2011: Impact of Budget on Poor Focus of Information Session

2011-04-27T13:28:00.002-03:00

The Common Front for Social Justice will hold a public information session in Fredericton on the impact of the provincial budget on the 40,000 people on Income Assistance in New Brunswick.

The Fredericton event is part of a province wide tour and will be held at 7 pm, Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at The Meeting Place Church at 487 Brunswick Street.

The information session will include an analysis of the 2011-2012 provincial budget by the CFSJ, figures on the rising cost of basic needs, and actions of solidarity with regards to people on low income.

For further information please contact Melynda Jarratt, Fredericton Regional Representative for the CFSJ, at the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization, 458-9102 or by email at fapo@antipoverty.com.

Click here to download poster in PDF or JPG format.

http://www.antipoverty.com/documents/poster-may-04-11.pdf

http://www.AntiPoverty.com/documents/poster-may-04-11.jpg

Daily Gleaner Editorial: We are what we eat - poor

2011-04-18T12:09:00.001-03:00

In our view: Rising food costs are daunting for many

Published Monday April 18th, 2011

http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/opinion/article/1398867

Where will the next dollar come from?

Will there be enough money for bread and butter?

What about the rent and other payments?

Will there be enough money for gas? For heat?

Who really cares for those who are at, or well below the poverty line?

The questions are genuine for a number of people in The Daily Gleaner reading audience. They're not only genuine, they are a stark reality of what it's like for some people in our community.

To worry about having enough money to get the next loaf of bread, tray of hamburger or jug of milk places those people in a category where many were during the Great Depression.

The situation is no laughing matter. It's a tragedy for which there is no quick, long-term solution.

Local officials and anti-poverty advocates are pointing to rising gasoline and food prices.

Prices for these basic commodities have surged recently, and that upward swing is placing many in a situation approaching dire straits.

Elizabeth Crawford-Thurber, executive director of the Fredericton Food Bank, is concerned about the increased costs.

"Not only is food going up, everything is going up," she said,

Although the food bank depends on donations, the facility sometimes has to buy food, so monetary donations don't go as far as they once did. Another issue relates to the donations themselves which means those on limited budgets who make donations will not have as much to give.

The age-old factor of supply and demand has raised its ugly head. With gas prices going up, it follows that everything else is caught, because delivery and shipping charges are met through higher costs.

It is a vicious circle as Tammy Greer knows. She lives in Lincoln and travels around the area in her work as a home-care worker for elderly and disabled clients.

Her job is a "low-paid field," she said, and she gets no mileage allowance for her travel.

She also sees how her clients are affected "from a dietary perspective" because quality, healthy food items are more expensive.

The RBC Canadian Consumer Outlook Index for March indicates that higher gas and food prices are hitting Atlantic consumers in a big way. Loblaw, which owns and operates Atlantic Superstores, announced recently that it would raise its grocery prices by five per cent across the board.

Dan Weston, spokesperson for the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization, said all levels of government need to do a better job of addressing the problems that affect low wage earners and those on fixed incomes.

Those who witness this dilemma have spoken.

We are at a loss to suggest a realistic plan to alleviate the plight of the most needy. Governments are strapped with exorbitant debt.

The instability and incidents all over the globe are in crisis category. It's daunting.

Nonetheless, a sympathetic ear must be attentive to the needs of the poor. Their needs are similar to ours, but their resources are extremely limited.Where will the next dollar come from?

Will there be enough money for bread and milk?

What about the rent and other payments?

Will there be enough money for gas? For heat?

Who really cares for those who are at, or well below the poverty line?

The questions are genuine for a number of people in The Daily Gleaner reading audience. They're not only genuine, they are a stark reality of what it's like for some people in our community.

To worry about having enough money to get the next loaf of bread, tray of hamburger or jug of milk places those people in a category where many were during the Great Depression.

The situation is no minor matter. It's a tragedy for which there is no quick, long-term solution.

Local officials and anti-poverty advocates are pointing to rising gasoline and food prices.

Prices for these basic commodities have surged recently, and that upward swing is placing many in a situation approaching dire straits.

Elizabeth Crawford-Thurber, executive director of the Fredericton Food Bank, is concerned about the increased costs.

"Not only is food going up, everything is going up," she said.

Although the food bank depends on donations, the facility sometimes has to buy food, so monetary donations don't go as far as they once did. Another issue relates to the donations themselves, which means those on limited budgets who make donations will not have as much to give.

The age-old factor of supply and demand has raised its ugly head. With gas prices going up, it follows that everything else is caught, because delivery and shipping charges are met through higher costs.

It is a vicious circle as Tammy Greer knows. She lives in Lincoln and travels around the area in her work as a home-care worker for elderly and disabled clients.

Her job is a low-paid field, she said, and she gets no mileage allowance for her travel.

She also sees how her clients are affected from a dietary perspective because quality, healthy food items are more expensive.

The RBC Canadian Consumer Outlook Index for March indicates that higher gas and food prices are hitting Atlantic consumers in a big way. Loblaw, which owns and operates Atlantic Superstores, announced recently that it would raise its grocery prices by five per cent across the board.

Dan Weston, spokesperson for the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization, said all levels of government need to do a better job of addressing the problems that affect low wage earners and those on fixed incomes.

Those who witness this dilemma have spoken.

We are at a loss to suggest a realistic plan to alleviate the plight of the most needy.

Governments are strapped with exorbitant debt. The instability and incidents all over the globe are in crisis category. It's daunting.

Nonetheless, a sympathetic ear must be attentive to the needs of the poor. Their needs are similar to ours, but their resources are extremely limited.

RESCHEDULED: Impact of Provincial Budget on Poor Focus of Information Session April 20

2011-04-14T15:33:00.003-03:00

Click here to download poster in PDF Format

WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT DUE TO THE WEATHER THIS EVENT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED TO WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2011 AT THE SAME TIME AND SAME LOCATION, 7 PM AT THE MEETING PLACE CHURCH, 487 BRUNSWICK STREET, FREDERICTON.

The Common Front for Social Justice will hold a public information session in Fredericton on the impact of the provincial budget on the 40,000 people living in poverty in New Brunswick.

The Fredericton event is part of a province wide tour and will be held at 7 pm, Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at The Meeting Place Church at 487 Brunswick Street.

The information session will include an analysis of the 2011-2012 provincial budget by the CFSJ, figures on the rising cost of basic needs, and actions of solidarity with regards to people on low income.

For further information please contact Melynda Jarratt, Fredericton Regional Representative for the CFSJ, at the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization, 458-9102 or by email at fapo@antipoverty.com.

Click here to download poster in PDF or JPG format.

http://www.antipoverty.com/documents/poster-april-20-11.pdf

http://www.AntiPoverty.com/documents/poster-april-20-11.jpg

Daily Gleaner: Taking a bite out of income

2011-04-13T12:24:00.000-03:00

Tammy Greer is shown at her mother's house Tuesday afternoon. She says price increases for gasoline and food are making it tough to get by. Photo by James West.

Published Wednesday April 13th, 2011

Click here to read original article in the Daily Gleaner

Higher costs | Gas, food prices hurting people's bottom lines
A1
By DON MACPHERSON
macpherson.don@dailygleaner.com

Rising gas and food prices are hitting the people who can least afford them the hardest, say local officials and anti-poverty advocates.

Elizabeth Crawford-Thurber, executive director of the Fredericton Food Bank, said she's worried about higher food prices.

"Not only is food going up, everything is going up," she said recently.

While the food bank relies on donations, it sometimes buys food as well, she said, and the money it has won't go as far as it once did.

Higher prices are also affecting people who donate food, she said.

People have limited budgets, Crawford-Thurber said, and that means they'll have less to donate.

Lincoln resident Tammy Greer drives all over the Fredericton area in her capacity as a home-care worker, providing home care to elderly and disabled clients.

"This is a low-paid field," she said, and she's not reimbursed for travel in the city.

As a result, rising gas prices are hitting her in the pocketbook.

Greer said she considers herself to be among the area's working poor, and that's not how it's supposed to be.

In her job as a home-care worker, she also sees how rising prices are affecting her clients, she said.

"It's impacting them from a dietary perspective," she said, noting that quality, healthy food items are more expensive.

"The processed stuff is cheaper."

Governments need to step up to address the problem, Greer said.

She said governments, by failing to support health care and education better, are passing their financial responsibilities onto regular citizens.

As a result, they aren't as able to handle the impact of those higher prices, she said.

Food and oil prices are rising worldwide, and on a local level, it could soon leave people who once had to choose between heating their homes and feeding themselves with no choice at all, said Dan Weston, co-ordinator of the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization.

Instability and incidents all over the globe are impacting our food and gas prices, he said, and all levels of government need to do a better job of addressing these problems.

"You have to develop some kind of core economy," he said.

"We have to be able to protect ourselves, and our governments are not doing that."

Rising prices are also going to drive more people below the poverty line, Weston said.

These problems are snowballing, he said, and political leaders don't seem to be coming up with any solutions.

The RBC Canadian Consumer Outlook Index for March indicates that higher gas and food prices are hitting Atlantic Canadian consumers in a big way.

RBC reports that almost half (49 per cent) of those surveyed report that increased costs are having a significant impact on their budgets.

Atlantic Canadians are also among the most likely (43 per cent) to focus on paying off as much debt as they can over the next year, while 30 per cent plan to spend less, 16 per cent intend to save or invest more and 25 per cent plan to do all three of these things, an RBC news release stated.

"We're seeing that Atlantic Canadians are strongly focused on managing debt, while also setting money aside for future needs," said Kim Mason, regional RBC president for the Atlantic provinces.

My Trip to the Fredericton and Area Dump

2011-04-11T17:52:00.001-03:00

This is just a rough draft of the video. I'm planning on making a much nicer one once my video editing software starts working. This was me going to the Sanitary Landfill with Dan and Andrew.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

CBC Mark Kelly's Connect: Interview with Senior Living in Poverty in Moncton

2011-03-31T09:16:00.000-03:00

Mark Kelley sits down with Phyllis Audain, a senior citizen living in poverty in Riverview, N.B. Click here to watch the video.

http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/TV_Shows/Connect_with_Mark_Kelley/1305591601/ID=1863772802

Air New Zealand Coldest Canadian Contest Sheds Light on Canada's Poor

2011-02-15T12:10:00.002-04:00

(Fredericton, NB - February 15, 2011) - We suppose Air New Zealand's marketing department thought that by announcing the "Coldest Canadian" video contest and offering a free trip to tropical New Zealand that they'd receive a blizzard of submissions from sun starved Canadians: and one look at the dozens of videos on their website http://coldestcanadian.ca/ proves we are right.

But the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization has a different angle on the Air New Zealand contest that we hope will raise awareness of the alarming epidemic of homelessness and hunger across Canada.

Who are the "Coldest Canadians"?

Surely, they are the homeless who line our streets in the middle of winter, begging for change and lining up for a hot meal at community kitchens across Canada.

Surely they are the single parent families on social assistance who have to decide between paying the rent, "heating or eating" as the cost of energy skyrockets through the roof.

Surely, they are the working poor, whose minimum wage pay keeps them impoverished year round because it takes the spring, summer and fall to pay off the huge power bills they couldn't afford to pay in the winter.

So with only 11 days left to submit your video, the Fredericton Anti Poverty Organization encourages Canadians who care about homelessness and hunger to show Air New Zealand who the "Coldest Canadians" really are! The poorest of the poor in Canada: the homeless, the near homeless and the working poor whose struggle to keep warm in our Canadian winters should earn them the prize of "Coldest Canadian" hands down.

- 30 -

For more information, contact:
Dan Weston, Coordinator
506-458-9102
Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization
Email: fapo@antipoverty.com
Web: http://www.AntiPoverty.com

Fredericton Daily Gleaner: Tories told where to spend, not cut

2011-02-04T10:22:00.000-04:00

Tour | Finance minister in Fredericton to get input on upcoming budget

Published Friday February 4th, 2011

A1 By GREG WESTON
The Daily Gleaner

Click here to read original article in the Fredericton Daily Gleaner

Finance Minister Blaine Higgs' consultation tour returned to the capital Thursday, where he received plenty of input on where funding should go, but little advice on where the money would come from.

On the second-last stop on the 10-session tour, Higgs heard repeated calls for continued or increased government support from groups representing low-income earners, seniors, women, people with disabilities and students.

As the Progressive Conservatives prepare to release their first budget March 22, the government is looking for ways to reduce its spending.

But Dan Weston, co-ordinator of the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization, said that approach is fundamentally flawed.

"It's time we heard something different," he said, calling for a long-term vision of sustainability over short-term decision making.

"We should be here today talking about building a core economy for New Brunswickers, instead of talking about cutbacks driven by our slavery to an export-dependent economy."

Many attendees made suggestions they argued would save the government from spending money in areas such as health care and social services down the line.

Higgs, however, underlined the reality that spending must be made more efficient.

"A lot of people say they want more," Higgs said. "Well if you want more, where do you want less?"

Brian Duplessis, executive director of the United Way Central New Brunswick, asked what cutbacks would mean for the poverty-reduction plan, the result of 10 months of consultation between government, the private sector, non-profit groups and those affected by poverty.

"Quite frankly, I'm pleading with you - don't mess with it," he said in regard to the plan's goal of raising the minimum wage.

"When we're talking about those who are entering the workforce, those who are making minimum wage and are not working full-time, when we start to play around at that level, I think it demeans us all."

Tim Ross of the Community Action Group on Homelessness said the government should focus its spending on areas with positive long-term effects.

"Given the current fiscal and economic climate, we should invest in solutions that return savings," he said, echoing calls for the implementation of the anti-poverty plan.

He said poverty in the province is preventing $1.6 billion of annual economic activity, with 2,000 using homeless shelters each year and 30,000 people lacking adequate housing.

"If we want to move forward as a province and grow our labour force and grow opportunities, we should be investing in these people."

There were also calls for continued support of the province's women through continued steps toward pay equity in the public and private sectors, as well as subsidies for universal childcare and legal aid.

"New Brunswick falls below the national average when it comes to public spending on childcare," said Karla Dawn Reynolds of the New Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women.

Higgs said the tour's goal is to gauge people's priorities and listen to new ideas on how to spend money more strategically.

"Looking at how we balance, certainly our poverty-reduction program, and maintaining those programs that are so significant for us, that's going to be the goal that we want to achieve and the challenge for us," he said, adding that he has received many demands to increase spending around the province.

"I understand that, but it is about priorities. At some point, we've got to decide what our real priorities are and move forward.

"This is not an easy process."

Barb MacKinnon, president of the New Brunswick Lung Association, agreed that a balance must be found.

"I don't want us to think that we're in a competition between economy and the environment, because we have to have a healthy environment in order for our economy to work well," she said.

"All of these things are so intersected: health, the economy, the environment, social justice and poverty issues."

Luc Erjavec, Atlantic vice-president of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said the industry should play an important role in the economic recovery.

"We're unique as an industry because we're employing people in every single community in this province. We're not one factory in a single town," he said.

"We have a restaurant, a bar or a pub in every community creating jobs, paying taxes and buying local services."

He said restaurants and bars add to a sense of community and promote wellness through sponsorship of local sports teams.

The final consultation sessions will take place at 7 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion in Woodstock on Wednesday.

Click here to read original article in the Fredericton Daily Gleaner

Cut Backs a Sign of Weakness: FAPO calls for new economic model that includes the environment as cornerstone

2011-02-03T17:35:00.002-04:00

Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization says budget cuts are sign of weakness
Calls for new economic model that includes the environment as cornerstone

(Fredericton, February 3, 2011) - A presentation by the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization to the NB Department of Finance Pre-Budget Consultations called upon the Alward government to change a failing economic model that threatens to bankrupt the province.

Dan Weston, FAPO coordinator said 28 years of escalating cuts since Richard Hatfield’s day are a sign of weakness and it’s time for a change.

“It’s time we have a government that approaches from a position of strength because it knows what to do to strengthen our economy - rather than from a position of weakness because they don’t know what else to do except cut back.”

Weston points to recent disturbing weather trends that caused untold millions of dollars damage in the province. He says that New Brunswickers have to change the way they think about the environment and a failed economic model that has fuelled mass over-consumption and global warming.

“I am very afraid that if this government does not act now we will see more and more of these frightening (weather) incidents and their effect on our economy will be far more devastating than washed out bridges and cottages knocked off their foundations. It will be the end of the way of life that has been based for more than a hundred years, and especially so in the last 60 years since the beginning of the post-war baby boom, on a “borrow till you sink, shop till you drop” economic model.

Weston’s presentation can be found on line at http://www.AntiPoverty.com

- 30 –

For further information, please contact:

Dan Weston, Coordinator
Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization

Pre-Budget Consultations Presentation to NB Finance Minister

2011-02-03T13:42:00.001-04:00

Text of FAPO presentation to the Department of Finance, Pre-Budget Consultations made in Fredericton, NB, February 3, 2011

I am Dan Weston, coordinator and founding member of the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization (FAPO). FAPO has been in existence since 1983: that was the year that the government of Richard Hatfield initiated the first government-wide systemic cuts that we have now come to accept and expect with each successive Liberal and Conservative government.

In our view, budget cuts should be viewed as bad management and 28 years of them should be viewed as bankruptcy.

There is a symbiotic relationship between the people and the economy that must be upheld for the economic model to make any sense in a sustainable way, and it goes like this: it’s not only what you can do for the economy, it’s what the economy can do for you.

It is on the latter side of the axiom that the problem lies. What has this economic model done for New Brunswickers but give away their resources and mire the people and their government in debt and poverty?

FAPO is a member of the New Brunswick Common Front For Social Justice, which has similarly made presentations to this pre-budget consultation in Moncton and Bathurst. The Common Front’s presentation begins by placing New Brunswick’s debt in a people-first context. It then confronts the previous government’s idiotic income tax give-aways and stresses the importance of better social policies to meet the needs of the unemployed and those on state assistance, as well as the need for pay equity in the private sector. The Common Front’s presentation closes with a plea that if this new government is going to cut again, as have all other governments before it, please try to make the cuts fair.

So for those who were not at the Moncton and Bathurst meetings, I will reiterate the Common Front’s recommendations to Finance Minister Biggs just so that we’re all on the same page:

1- Don't cut the services and programs which help poor people

2- Keep raising the minimum wage

3- Put money in the next budget for increases to welfare rates

4- Discontinue the income tax cuts for individuals and corporation which were voted in 2009

5- Don’t raise the HST

But as far as the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization is concerned, we shouldn’t even be talking about cuts. We should be laying the groundwork to change the economic model. There is no economic security in the present model. There is no security in filling the shelves with products and food from outside the country while producing nothing here at home.

We are hostage to an international financial situation that is out of our control. We should be here today talking about building a core economy for New Brunswickers, instead of talking cutbacks driven by our slavery to an export-dependent economy.

There is certainly an economic challenge to be faced here in New Brunswick, but it is bigger than the debt problem: it is the very idea of financing the present by borrowing from the future. The practice is equivalent to lemmings heading for the cliff. In our case, the people of New Brunswick and the future generations who will be stuck paying the bills are the lemmings. They – WE - seem to exist for the benefit of the economy rather than the economy existing for the benefit of the people.

We need a government and a political party that will help the people instead of the corporations, We need a government and a political party that gives us the strength of a home economy rather than being hostage to other countries.

There is no strength in economic dependency whether you are a person on welfare or a government in hock up to its 9.2 billion dollar eyeballs. This debt is not the fault of the people who have accepted 28 years of cut backs. It is the fault of the two political parties and the economic model they have supported all these years. It is the model that is bankrupt and it is bankrupting our people.

I would also like to speak very briefly about the connection between the economy and the environment. In 2010, New Brunswick experienced several unprecedented weather incidents. Only two months ago, our family cottage on the province’s north shore nearly floated out to sea when the rising tide came within inches of picking it up off its supports. We were lucky. The neighbours lost their breakwater. Nobody in the area can recall seeing such widespread devastation caused by flooding. This same situation manifested itself throughout the province’s north-eastern coastal areas and in southern New Brunswick, St. George, especially, where the damage has yet to be caculated.

What is the connection between the economy and these disturbing weather patterns? Global warming. I am very afraid that if this government does not act now we will see more and more of these frightening incidents and their effect on our economy will be far more devastating than washed out bridges and cottages knocked off their foundations. It will be the end of the way of life that has been based for more than a hundred years, and especially so in the last 60 years since the beginning of the post-war baby boom, on a “borrow till you sink, shop till you drop” economic model.

IT’s TIME the short term fixes were dependent on a long term view that is not smothered by debt and that takes the economy and ecology together - because one of the inconvenient truths is that the ecology trumps the economy, not the other way around.

IT’s TIME we have a government that approaches from a position of strength because it knows what to do to strengthen our economy - rather than from a position of weakness because they don’t know what else to do except cut back because they are hostage to international finance.

ISSUE: Waste Disposal

2011-01-20T17:54:00.002-04:00

FAPO spends on average more than $3000 per year in waste disposal costs. This is a cost that we have to bear ourselves because we do not receive any public funding whatsoever other than what we manage to raise through the sale of recycled furniture, clothing and applicances.

The “garbage” we take to the Solid Waste Commission (SWC) consists of items that have been donated to FAPO but which are in such bad shape that we cannot give them away or sell them, even at a reduced price. For example, broken and dirty furniture, mattresses with urine stains and smell, moldy bedding, electrical appliances such as stoves, refrigerators, television sets etc. In many cases, these items are knowingly dropped off at our stores after hours because the “donors” have no way to get their junk to the SWC so they just “dump” it on FAPO. This happens more times than we can count. In that sense, FAPO is providing a service to the City of Fredericton and the province of New Brunswick by bringing garbage to the dump that would otherwise end up along the side of the road or in illegal dumps in rural areas.

Gallants Metal will take some of the larger items such as stoves, and refrigerators for which they pay X $ per ton, but the sheer volume of other donations (furniture, couches, chairs, plastics) that are beyond repair and have absolutely no value to FAPO or anyone else is staggering. FAPO becomes, in a very real sense, an easy way out for some people who have no way of getting to the dump themselves for whatever reason, lack of transportation, tippage fees, or just plain laziness. After hours, and even during working hours, these people just offload their garbage at FAPO. By the time we realize it is too late because they are gone and we are stuck with the problems and cost of disposal.

We are making a case to the Fredericton Solid Waste Commission to give us a reduction in tippage fees. Currently, the tippage fees are $75 a ton, having gone up from approx. $65 a ton in the fall due to increased costs. We would also like to explore the possibility of getting a grant from the Department of Environment – or anywhere else - to help us with our waste disposal costs.

What you see below is a small example of the kind of junk that is dropped off at our stores which we have no choice but to bring to the Solid Waste Commission ourselves. It's demoralizing and discouraging to know that we have to deal with this when we have so much more important work to do every single day.

Books for Sale in our Library

2011-01-20T14:54:00.006-04:00

Thrillers, romance, Westerns,novels, biographies,
how-to, health, textbooks for university and
college, cookbooks, philosophy, history, finance,
religion, electronics, carpentry, flower arranging,
geography, math, English literature, dictionaries,
Roget's Thesaurus, coffee table books, children's
books, parenting, GED, etc. etc.

Click here to see our FACEBOOK posting FAPO's Library is OVERFLOWING with BOOKS

We have thousands of books of every genre in our library located in the basement of 242 Gibson Street.

Mystery, thrillers, romance, Westerns, novels, biographies, how-to, health, textbooks for university and college, cookbooks, philosophy, history, finance, religion, electronics, carpentry, flower arranging, geography, math, English literature, dictionaries, Roget's Thesaurus, coffee table books, children's books, parenting, GED, etc. etc.

You name it, it's there, but don't ask us to find it for you on the shelves: you have to come and check it out yourself.

Below are some of the kinds of books you will find in our "Library" located at 242 Gibson Street.

In the News

2011-01-18T21:15:00.029-04:00

Click here to see our most recent media articles and musings on FACEBOOK.

FAPO is frequently asked for comment on public social policy issues affecting low income in the mainstream newspapers, television and radio as well as alternative media including websites, blogs and YouTube.

For a quick response to a question that needs answering, feel free to give us a call at 506-458-9102. Responses to email inquiries may be delayed.

May 4, 2011: Impact of Budget on Poor Focus of Information Session

April 20, 2011 (This event has been rescheduled to Wednesday May 4 due to weather)
Public Information Session on the NB Provincial Budget by the Common Front For Social Justice

April 18, 2011
We are what we eat - poor
Daily Gleaner, Fredericton

April 13, 2011
Global Television, Fredericton, NB

April 13, 2011
Taking a bite out of income
Daily Gleaner, Fredericton, NB

February 15, 2011 : Air New Zealand Coldest Canadian Contest Sheds Light on Canada's Poor

February 3, 2011: Cut backs a sign of weakness: FAPO calls for new economic model with environment as cornerstone

February 3, 2011: FAPO Presentation to New Brunswick Department of Finance, Pre-Budget Consultations, Fredericton, NB

ISSUES: Waste Disposal - FAPO spends on average more than $3000 per year in waste disposal costs. This is a cost that we have to bear ourselves because we do not receive any public funding whatsoever other than what we manage to raise through the sale of recycled furniture, clothing and applicances....

History of the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization

2011-01-18T20:46:00.004-04:00

The Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization (FAPO) was founded in March, 1983. The groundwork was laid over the winter of 1982-83 by the Fredericton North and York South NDP Campaign teams left over from the October 1982 Provincial Election. Together with 54 other low income individuals, FAPO was founded and a constitution was developed and incorporated.

In 1984 FAPO applied for and received a $5000 grant from the Provincial Government to study the feasibility of a household recycling system. In early 1985 FAPO incorporated the Furniture Distribution and Service Center with a grant of $60,000 from the Provincial Government. FAPO received three more $60,000 grants from the Hatfield government for the development of the recycling system between 1985 and 1987.

The recycling system expanded rapidly. There was a virtual mountain of useful products in the community just waiting to be recycled. The system began in the basement of our ground floor office at 627 King Street in an old house next to the current site of the Lunar Rogue Pub. It quickly became too small for the amount of donations available even though all products were given away for free. This problem of space constricts the development of the system to this day.

With little actual advertising, but rather a large activist community profile, the donation process took off. People brought their items in for us to recycle to the poor. It was a way of giving that didn't involve money, and much of it was of excellent quality.

In 1986 FAPO rented a small store front and basement property located at 207 Canada Street, in order to better store, display and distribute the product on both sides of the river. The store also helped to offset operating costs that had exceeded the grant. In 1987 a larger store and a full basement became available at the same 207 Canada Street complex and FAPO took over the larger space. The organization now had facilities on both sides of the river. The south side office and donation center at 627 King Street and the facility at 207 Canada Street.

Most donations were dropped off, but FAPO established a pickup service in 1986 using a half-ton truck and in 1989 a cube van as well.|With the election of Frank McKenna in 1987, FAPOs grant was cut to $50,000. However, the recycling system had taken on a life of its own as the word “Anti-poverty” spread. By 1989 the phone was ringing constantly, two trucks were on the road and tons of items were being given away at the King Street facility and both sold and given away at the northside location. (Eg. Two cube van loads of clothes went from the south side to the north side each week.) Here the clothes were sorted and given away while other products were for sale at prices far less expensive than anywhere else, in order to offset our costs.

In 1988 FAPO was forced to move its south side facility from 627 King Street, which was being demolished, to a large old house at 124 King Street. This move enabled the system to expand on the south side of the city.

In 1991 FAPO expanded on the north side of Fredericton by closing 207 Canada Street and purchasing a much larger facility at 242 Gibson Street.

The recycling and distribution system was the responsibility of a non voting coordinator answering to the executive. Nancy MacFarland, a co-founder and NDP candidate in Fredericton North in the 1982 Provincial election, was chairperson of FAPO from 1983-1985, Charles McFarlane from 1985-1988, Dan Weston from 1989-1992, and Elaine Perkins from 1992-1999.

During this period ('92-'99) FAPO faced two major difficulties beginning when three major fires hit FAPO’s facilities in a rash of arson that hit the city, 22 fires in all, the first of which destroyed our south side building in 1993 and all records of the organization.

FAPO rented another facility across the road but in the spring of 1994 the cube van was destroyed by fire and in the summer the facility FAPO owned on the north side was 50% destroyed by the same arsonist. The second stroke was the 1995 spring budget when FAPO’s grant was slashed.

In June 1999 the Chairperson decided to give up her position and move out of province and FAPO re-organized. That summer several former and founding members from the 1980s assumed control of the organization. Sara Miller was elected Chair. She stayed for six months, leaving for a job as a policy analyst with the provincial government. She was succeeded by Tasha Barnett who was chair from 2000 to 2005. Since 2005, the organization has been chaired by Miriam McNeil.

The current (2010-2011) Board of Directors of the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization are:

Chairperson: Miriam McNeil

Treasurer: Peter Keith

Secretary: Melynda Jarratt

Member at large: Hollie Matthews

Member at large: Brenda Braun

Services and Programs of the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization

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The Yard Sale Store is the flagship of the Anti-Poverty Distribution and Service Center. The Store is a unique operation which combines "charity" with commerce as a means of supporting our programs and services. FAPO will pick up donations to the Yard Sale Store and accepts donations which are delivered to the building at 242 Gibson Street, between the hours of 9-5 Monday to Friday and 9-4 on Saturday.

Through the funds raised at the Yard Sale Store, FAPO is able to pay for the many services it provides to low-income persons in the community such as free or low-cost clothing, furniture, appliances and bedding. FAPO regularly assists families in emergency situations.

FAPO is entirely independent and does not receive government funding for any of its work in the community.

FAPO supports the fundraising efforts of other worthy community organizations through bulk donations to clothing fund-drives. Since August 1999, FAPO has donated thousands of tons of clothing to the New Brunswick Association for Community Living, donations which in turn support the work of that organization in providing services to disabled persons.
Since reorganizing in 1999, FAPO has provided free clothing, furniture, bedding, food and emergency funding to thousands of families and individuals in the Fredericton area
FAPO members speak publicly on matters of poverty to the media, community groups, churches, government organizations and university students.
FAPO supports and advocates on behalf of the poor and the marginalized in the Justice system
FAPO is represented on many committees and organizations seeking to improve the social condition of the poor including the Common Front For Social Justice, the SUN Network and the Community Action Group on Homelessness.
FAPO helped found the Fredericton Legal Advice Clinic in Fredericton, New Brunswick and continues to support its work through references to the Clinic.
FAPO is a leading advocate of the rights of the poor and in this capacity is a vocal critic of the Province of New Brunswick's Economic Unit Policy, which discriminates against the poor on the basis of source of income.

How to Contact the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization (FAPO)

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E-MAIL: fapo@antipoverty.com

URL: http://www.antipoverty.com

MAILING ADDRESS: Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization
242 Gibson Street
Fredericton, New Brunswick
E3B 1J1
Canada
Telephone: 506-458-9102
You can leave a message on our voice mail and we will return your call.

Yard Sale Store

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The Yard Sale Store is FAPO's headquarters and flagship store located at 242 Gibson Street. Everyone is welcome to come to The Yard Sale Store, rich and poor alike, we don't discriminate against our clients on teh basis of source of income because everyone likes to find treasure in someone else's give-aways.

You can find just about anything at The Yard Sale Store including :

Appliances such as stoves and fridges
Mattresses and bedding
Furniture such as end tables, bureaus, chairs and desks
Electronics such as televisions, radios, VCRs (yes VCRs!), DVD players and stereos
Dishes, utensils, kitchen appliances such as coffee makers, blenders, etc.
Clothing and shoes
Curtains
Thousands of knick-knacks
And everything else

Welcome to the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization Website

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January 2012: Dalhousie University and the Atlantic Center for Excellence in Women’s Health Seek Research Participants in Fredericton

Over the last 12 months, have there been times when you and other household members didn’t have enough to eat?

If so, and you are a woman and have experienced weight challenges, we would like to invite you to share your experiences as part of our research project. We will be conducting group discussions with women, aged 18 and older, to learn about your experiences and understandings around times when you are worried about not having enough to eat or actually did not have enough to eat, and weight challenges you faced as well as issues with chronic diseases. Group discussions will be taking place in communities across Atlantic Canada.

You will receive an honorarium for your participation. In addition, you will be reimbursed up to a limited amount for child care, parking fees, and or travel costs if you are taking a bus or taxi.

Group discussions will be taking place in Moncton and Fredericton

Date: The week of January 29, 2012

Time: To Be Confirmed, group discussion will be approximately 2.5 hours

Location: To Be Confirmed

For more information and to find out if you are eligible to participate in this study, please contact the Project Coordinator Andrea Papan at:

Atlantic Center for Excellence in Women’s Health, Dalhousie University
Phone: (902) 494-7849 or andrea.papan@dal.ca
Toll Free: 1-888-658-1112

On this website you will find information about the organization, its services, membership and constitution. We try to keep people up to date with what's happening by posting it on the website, so be patient if you notice we're falling behind. We're volunteers. If you have something you would like to tell us, please contact us at fapo@antipoverty.com or give us a call in Fredericton at 506-458-9102.

The Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization provides numerous services to the community through its Anti-Poverty Distribution and Service Center, located at 242 Gibson Street in Fredericton. If you need assistance or you know someone who does, please contact us.

The Yard Sale Store is a unique operation which combine "charity" with commerce as a means of supporting our programs and services. FAPO will pick up donations to the Yard Sale Store and accepts donations which are delivered to the building at 242 Gibson Street, between the hours of 9-5 Monday to Friday, 10-4 on Saturday and 12-4 on Sunday.

Through the funds raised at the Yard Sale Store, FAPO is able to pay for the many services it provides to low-income persons in the community such as free or low-cost clothing, furniture, appliances and bedding. FAPO regularly assists families in emergency situations and is a member of numerous local and provincial organizations which assist the poor, including the SUN (Supportive) Network, the Common Front for Social Justice, the Access to Justice Coalition and the Community Action Group on Homelessness to name a few.

Check out the NEWS PAGE for info about recent events and activities.

May 4, 2011
Impact of Budget on Poor Focus of Information Session

April 18, 2011
We are what we eat - poor
Daily Gleaner, Fredericton

April 13, 2011
Taking a bite out of income
Daily Gleaner, Fredericton, NB