Editor, The News:
I am not sure what community MLA Marc Dalton lives in that he has not seen poverty in Maple Ridge.
If there is no poverty, then why has the number of food bank clients grown dramatically in the past decade, including children and seniors?
Why has the Caring Place begun making sandwiches to be delivered to schools to provide lunches for hungry children?
Why are the meals at the Caring Place, the Saturday night meal at Golden Ears United and the food truck downtown on Friday night so busy serving hungry people?
Why have schools started breakfast programs?
Maple Ridge is an awesome community that responds to these needs magnificently.
I hope Mr. Dalton will spend some time visiting some of these places and see the level of poverty and the great charitable work being done to alleviate it.
Perhaps he will then encourage his colleagues to address this issue and make a plan to end poverty, as most other provinces in Canada have already done.
Bob Goos
Maple Ridge