2 THE VOICE, TUESDAY, NOV. 29 2016 EDITOR CHAHIRA MERARSI Cws MELANIE GREEN photos Activists, advocates, city officials and police representatives met at ISSofBC on Monday. Insert: Doris Rajan, a director at IRIS. Most marginalized to get help Groups focus on policy change for those who slip through the cracks 66 Certain groups of women are not being understood in the context of oppression DORIS RAJAN INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ON INCLUSION AND SOCIETY By MELANIE GREEN Activists, advocates, city officials and police representatives came to- gether at a meeting yesterday to com- bat structural violence against women and those with intellectual and psychi- atric disabilities. Doris Rajan, the director of social development at the Institute for Re- search and Development on Inclusion and Society, spearheaded the meeting after receiving federal funding for the innovative project. The four groups at the meeting had different frameworks for identifying challenges, but all agreed the conversation was neces- sary. “Certain groups of women are not being understood in the context of op- pression. The methodology is specific. We already know it’s bad, we just need to do the work to affect policy change,” she said, adding the project was not for research or to raise awareness The project will span across four cit- ies — Vancouver, Toronto, Regina and St. Johns — over the next three years. Rajan hopes the sites can be seen as models, recognizing that each city fac- es unique challenges. Rajan was compelled to take action by the story of a migrant woman who saw her husband, two young children and father murdered and realized that mainstream services could not meet her needs when she sought refuge in Canada. According to Rajan, the migrant woman, who has profound trauma that requires different support, is only one of many that slip through the cracks. Jacques Courteau, member of the City of Vancouver’s Persons With Dis- abilities Advisory Committee, person- ally believes that the structures in place are not made to handle complex multifaceted problems. He added that the goal of the initiative is to get the at- tention of the government and find the right ‘entry points’ to provide needed services. “Being aware of the issues is one thing, but doing enough, and funding, will always be an issue. It’s about hav- ing a global strategy and using our committees to integrate,” he said. Lorie Seay, local coordinator for the project, quickly recognized the need for access to services and experience at the structural level. Seay said the aim is to influence pol- icy by having federal conversation. Food banks seek healthy options 2016 report highlights need for more nutritious fruits and vegetables for food bank users By MICHELE PAULSE food to members is one of the key points the Greater Vancouver Food Bank highlighted in its 2016 com- munity report. BCfresh, a coalition of farmer’s asso- ciation, supplies the food bank with produce. However, the food bank wants to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables it distributes because the quality of food affects health. “As a food bank, we have an obliga- tion to be aware that there is a correla- tion between poverty and poor health,” the food bank said in its report. “Food at food banks historically has not been the healthiest of foods, a lot of canned food, not very much healthy fruit and vegetables and I know they’re trying to transition to provide more nu- tritious food,” said Trish Garner, a community organizer at the BC Pover- ty Reduction Coalition. Community organizations act as drop off points for the food bank and because they don’t have the means to refrigerate perishable food, the food bank does not accept fresh fruit and vegetables from them. Jennifer Takai, a program worker at Kerrisdale Community Centre, said the organization mostly receives dona- tions of pasta and canned food because “Ithe food bank] only take[s] non-per- ishable [food].” “The food bank has relationships with farmers in the Okanagan and the Fraser Valley and is focussing more on the quality of food it can over so that its members can healthy choices,” the community report said. Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House collects food at the food bank once a month for its members to use on an emergency basis. “There’s always perishable food to choose from,” said Eva Aboud, commu- nity outreach and food security coordi- nator at Frog Hollow. “Tt could be a box of apples, a box of potatoes, to a box of butternut squash, or all three at the same time,” Aboud said. Aboud added that the amount of fresh food the food bank provides has increased in recent years.“It’s amazing now.” B:: better at providing nutritious Insane rain drains student brains The dark and dreary past two months leave students sluggish and affects their school work By BALA YOGESH the continuous rain in Vancouver as their mood deterioriates in the darker months. Rain has fallen on Vancouver almost every day for the last two months. The weekly rainfall data chart shows that rainfall has exceeded 30 mm in six of the last eight weeks. The forecast sug- gests that the pattern will continue for in the next month. Karan Raj Singh, an accounting stu- dent at Langara, said the rain is affect- ing his mood. Su are feeling the effects of “Whenever I wake up and I see sun, I am eager to go out. When I see rain, I don’t want to go out at all, and some- times I cancel my plans because of the rain,” said Raj Singh. Rain has been forecasted for 18 days and snowfall for seven days over the month of December. Naoko Shimogaki, a biology student at Langara, said that she doesn’t appre- ciate the rain. “It affects my mood; I don’t feel ac- tive during the days,” Shimogaki said. “Tjust have rain boots, and I use an um- brella. ’'m doing my best to stay dry. It doesn’t make much difference, as the rains affect me a lot.” Langara instructor Phil Mentacos said the rain can affect students in their studies. “Just going on idea that grey weath- er and ongoing rain, people find it de- pressing. I would imagine that it would also affect their ability to get their work done and do well in it. So there’s a cor- relation,” Men- tacos said. Akash Mehe, student at Lang- ara said the rains are mak- ing it hard to get to school. “It is hard to commute. Some- times you forgot the umbrella and even with the umbrella, sometimes it is raining hard and your shoes get wet.” RAINY records SOGGY OCTOBER It rained a record-break- ing 28 out of 31 days this past October, making it Vancouver's rainiest October since 1985. SOGGIEST DAYS IN NOVEMBER Nov. 3: 26mm Nov. 5: 20 mm Nov. 22: 28 mm Nov. 26: 31mm Nov 27: 25 mm Source: (twitter) @ECCCWeatherBC, CHANDLER WALTER photo Raincoats and umbrellas are student essentials.