The Canadian Freedom From Hunger Campaign Committee was founded in 1960 and launched in 1961. In 1964 it became in independent non-governmental organization known as the Canadian Hunger Foundation. The organization was one of Canada's most important development agencies and pursued improvements in agricultural development in many countries around the world. As of July 31, 2015, CHF has ceased active operations.
A Short History of the Canadian Hunger Foundation
The Canadian Hunger Foundation (CHF: Partners in Rural Development) was one of Canada’s most esteemed and venerable development organizations, but it ended active operations in July of 2015. The passing of CHF is lamentable, but the organization can be celebrated for its legacy, its influence, and its role in bringing a Canadian voice to the fight against hunger and malnutrition. CHF was among the first non-governmental organizations specifically dedicated to agricultural development, and was a key influence on the shaping of public perception on the issue and on the shaping of Canadian official aid policy.
Origins
In 1960, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched the Freedom From Hunger Campaign (FFHC) in order to raise awareness of the problem of hunger and malnutrition and possible solutions to that problem. FAO Director-General, B.R. Sen, invited governments to initiate national committees to support the campaign and its objectives. In the same year, with the support of the Government of Canada,[1] a national Freedom From Hunger Campaign committee (CFFHC) was initiated under the leadership of Wilson Woodside, national director of the United Nations Association. The founding committee included Dr. L.E. Kirk, formerly with FAO, Herbert Hanam, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, and Howard Trueman, Foreign Agricultural Relations Officer with the Canadian Department of Agriculture. CHHFC was formally inaugurated under the chairmanship of Mitchell Sharp, who later became a cabinet minister under prime ministers Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Trudeau. CFFHC supported the work of FFHC at a national level, contributed to and disseminated information produced by FAO, facilitated the work of other NGOs, and supported individual development projects. Numerous organizations supported development projects organized under the auspices of FFHC, and many maintained long-term involvement in CFFHC, FFHC and development issues.[2] The Canadian Freedom From Hunger Committee defined the purpose of a national FFH Campaign committee as :
to inform people on the problems of food and population and to stimulate more rapid action for the alleviation and eventual elimination of hunger. In the developed nations we have the added responsibility of providing money, equipment, and personnel to assist in speeding up the self-help programmes in less fortunate countries.[3]
This would remain the mandate of the organization until its reorganization into the Canadian Hunger Foundation in 1964.
Director-General Sen initiated FFHC to begin a process that he knew would force FAO and other UN agencies to begin the serious work of gathering information on population, the health and viability of communities in developed and developing countries, and available resources. Sen proposed the First World Food Congress in 1963 as a deadline for the compilation and sharing of the initial data gathered under the auspices of the campaign. The Congress was a meeting of the initial national Freedom From Hunger committees, dignitaries, experts and individuals and was the first time that the scale and scope of world hunger situation was first understood. John F. Kennedy gave the keynote address to open the Congress where he called attention to the urgency of the problem and encouraged action. The Congress was an important stimulus for the beginning of the modern international development movement. Sen and the Congress organizers intended that the event bring together donors and recipients in the same forum, and that attendees participate as individuals and not as representatives of governments or organizations. FFHC international coordinator, Charles H. Weitz captured the essence of the event, “…you had a student from Canada at the table with the Prime Minister of India, you had heads of NGOs sitting with Ministers and Statesmen, African mothers with Swiss businessmen…it was remarkable.”[4]
In Canada, as in many other nations in both the developed and developing world, a result of the Congress was that the realities of underdevelopment, hunger and malnutrition were increasingly understood by government and the public. An initial result was the Indicative World Plan for Agricultural Development (IWP), which became a platform for action. What followed was a proliferation of development NGOs and broad public support for these organizations, and CFFHC/CHF was instrumental in identifying areas of need and potential action, and in directing resources accordingly. Members of the CFFHC attended the Congress, and like many other attendees, left the Congress in the knowledge that efforts would need to be global in scale and long-term in nature. The members of the CFFHC realised that Canadian committee must undertake organizational change in order to effectively address the problems identified at the Congress; CFFHC would be reorganized as the Canadian Hunger Foundation. It was not until the 1970s after a second organizational restructuring that CHF undertook serious project work; this change was a result of CHF’s pioneering work in the development of a food technology institute in Mysore India, known as the Canada-Mysore Project, and in the Canada+One project.[F1] In the late 1960s and into the 1970s, CHF was a pioneer in what became known as “appropriate technology,” a concept taken for granted today but which was virtually unknown and untested then.
The Canadian Hunger Foundation
In 1964 the Canadian Hunger Foundation was created to continue the work of the CHHFC, whose mandate would expire in 1965, and to continue the work of the Freedom From Hunger Campaign on a permanent basis.
The objectives and activities of CHF were outlined in the first issue of Hunger[5] in the winter of 1965:
Believing [the fight against hunger] to be a long term effort, and in order to give the community beyond the initial Freedom from Hunger Campaign period, the Canadian Hunger Foundation has been established to act as an information and servicing agency.
The following are some of the things the Foundation does:
1. Encourages public support for the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization and related Agencies of the United Nations in promoting agricultural development in food-deficient countries. The Foundation provides facilities for assembling and transmitting funds and for signing contracts with FAO and developing countries for carrying out and assisting development projects. It also assists in recruiting experts and locating training facilities for scholars and trainees from overseas engaged in the development of projects supported by non-governmental organizations and funds.
2. Provides a regular news-letter service to members and to the press and radio covering general progress toward freedom from hunger, reports of Canadian projects and Canadians serving outside of Canada, sources of films and pictures, book and periodical reviews, and other information pertinent to Canada’s participation in agricultural development overseas.
3. Provides information and teaching materials for public and high schools, and guidance for adult leaders and groups on how to participate in freedom from hunger activities.
4. Maintains a regular exchange of information with non-governmental organizations in other countries on the progress of constructive measures to relieve hunger and want.
5. Arranges for the publication and the publicizing of basic reliable information on Canadian international activities which might otherwise fail to receive adequate attention.[6]
In 1965, the outgoing Chair of CFFHC was George McIvor, Director of CIBC. The first executive director of CHF was Howard Trueman, formerly of the Canadian Department of Agriculture. Mr. Trueman was responsible for much of the success of CHF in the 1960s, and was personally involved in most of the organization’s operations. CHF was associated with prominent politicians such as Lester B. Pearson, Mitchell, Sharp, Paul Martin Sr., Tommy Douglas and others, and CHF was an important site for leadership by a host of top business executives.[7]
In 1959, the FAO Regional Seminar on Food Technology for Asia and the Far East, held in Mysore, India, recommended that FAO investigate the possibilities of establishing in the region a permanent food technology training center. The institute would train students from various parts of the region on the storage and preservation of food products. In January, 1961, the Canadian Institute of Food Technology (CIFT) contacted FAO in search of ways in which they could contribute to FFHC.[8] The FAO Nutrition Division suggested that CIFT follow up on the recommendations of the Mysore seminar. CIFT and then the Canadian Freedom From Hunger Committee were immediately interested in the Project, and FAO and CFFHC began cooperation on what would eventually become the Canada-Mysore Project. By the autumn of 1962, the Mysore project was considered as a joint project of the Indian Government, FAO, and the Canadian Freedom From Hunger Committee.
The Canada-Mysore Project was the first major initiative of CFFHC; it was an early example of the application of “appropriate technology” and would set the organization on the path to become an independent development organization. By 1965, a fundraising committee including the heads of 30 Canadian companies and supported by more than 80 Members of Parliament raised more than US$500,000 in support of the project. This centre continues to operate today as a major research facility and has been designated an Affiliate of the United Nations University. CHF was a key supporter of the project until the mid-1970s, and as a result of this project, appropriate technology became an area of expertise for CHF.
The organizations involved in the Project were FAO, CHF, and the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI). The initial supporting organizations were the United Nations Association in Canada, the National Council of Women of Canada, the Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom, the Canadian Institute of Food Technology, the Canadian Dietetic Association, and the Canadian Home Economics Association. National organizations including the Canadian Save the Children Fund, Oxfam of Canada, CARE of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada made donations to the project, as did numerous individual churches, service clubs, universities, colleges, schools and thousands of private individuals.[9] On 15 September, 1965, Prime Minister Pearson launched Canada-Mysore Week, and numerous organizations undertook activities in support of the project.[10]
In April, 1965, the Training Centre was officially inaugurated. By this time Project organizers had received messages of congratulations from U Thant, Indian Prime Minister Shastri, Adlai Stevenson, and Sargent Shriver. After the inauguration CHF received congratulations and personal gifts from the Duke of Edinburgh, the President of India, the Governor General of Canada, heads of governments of India, Canada, the USSR, Australia, Jamaica, Japan, Pakistan, Ceylon, Korea, Hong Kong, Israel, the Republic of China, and Her Royal Highness Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg.[11] In the same year the Canada-Mysore Project was named an Official Centennial Project by the Canadian Centenary Council.[12] The Campbell Soup Company supported several seminars and some student accommodations, the province of Saskatchewan Jubilee and Centennial Committee adopted the Project, and Canada-Mysore received support from the Young World Mobilization Appeal. The Industry Committee of the Canada-Mysore Project agreed with this proposal, suggesting that the food industry been looking for a rallying point for the Centennial celebrations.[13] The Centenary Council responded to communications from the Industry Committee, and recommended Canada-Mysore for industrial support as part of the Centennial program,[14] and in 1966 the Project was designated a Canadian Centennial Project by the Canadian Centenary Council.
Canada-Mysore led directly to the development of the Canada+One Project. Canada+One ran from 1968 to 1973 and involved the development of mobile training units (MTUs) for use in combating food losses due to spoilage. These MTUs were used all over the world in a variety of applications, and the project was supported by more than 200 industrial partners. The committee organizing Canada+One was chaired by George Metcalfe, President of Loblaw’s, who presided over a committee composed of: Harold Thomson, Vice-Chairman of CIBC; John Leitch, Chairman, Maple Leaf Mills; W.P. Wilder, President Wood Gundy Securities; George Huffman, Vice President Loblaw’s; and J.O. Hughes, President A.E. Ames and Company. International Harvester developed and built the MTUs.
Experience with Canada-Mysore and Canada+One led to a change at CHF from a mandate to raise funds for other NGOs to one where CHF sought funds for its own overseas development projects. In 1971, CHF became a charitable organization under the Canada Corporations Act, and after this point was responsible for the administration of more than 800 individual development projects and a sophisticated development education program. The work of CHF in the 1970s was dominated by three themes: administration of individual development projects, appropriate technology, and information/education programs. In 1976, CHF collaborated with the Brace Research Institute to produce the Handbook on Appropriate Technology. The Handbook was quickly in high demand around the world and is still used today. The Handbook was part of the Tools for Development Project which CHF had initiated in 1970. Tools for Development explored new ways to provide economic and social assistance, and sought to augment larger development schemes with simple, small scale solutions and devices.
In 1970, companies in the food industry that had supported CHF in the past were invited to become “life members” by providing seed money for the Foundation’s new role in overseas projects. Initial life members were: The Borden Co., Campbell Soup, Canada Packers, Canada Starch, Canadian Salt, Carnation, Christie, Brown and Co., Coca Cola Ltd., Continental Can Co., Corporate Foods, General Foods, Griffith Laboratories Ltd., Kelly Douglas Co., Kraft Foods, Lever Brothers, Thomas J. Lipton, Maple Leaf Mills, William Neilson Ltd., Reynolds Aluminum, Robin Hood Multifoods, Rowntree Co., St. Lawrence Starch, Salada Foods, Warner-Lambert Canada, William Wrigley Jr. Co.
The Canadian Hunger Foundation was instrumental in the organization of modern development programs in Canada — both official and unofficial. FFHC and CHF pioneered an increased profile for NGOs, youth, and private industry, and individuals directly associated with these initiatives were later recruited by Canadian officials who hoped to implement similar programs at the External Aid Office and later at the Canadian International Development Agency. After the reorganization of Canada’s aid program in the late 1960s, CHF moved from a role supporting other NGOs to one more focussed on administration of its own overseas development projects. CHF continued to do the work of FFHC — which had added the “Action for Development” phrase to its moniker — but was now more independent in character and more reliant on CIDA for funds. In the 1980s, CHF was among the first NGOs to participate in CIDA’s country focus to its bi-lateral aid programs. Through this approach, large development schemes were able to take advantage of the effectiveness of NGOs at a grass roots level. Involvement in World Food day lead to the development of new school programs — including the publication of the periodical Two Thirds, which was directed at high school students. CHF continued to partner with other NGOs, and remained part of the FFHC network until the Campaign ended in the early 1980s.
Youth
The Canadian Hunger Foundation was an early and enthusiastic supporter of youth and youth organizations in the fight against hunger. Canada launched its participation in FAO’s Young World Appeal on 15-16 October, 1965 — the same time as the Appeal was being launched in Rome. One hundred and fifty young Canadians representing schools and youth organizations met under the auspices of the Overseas Institute of Canada to discuss the Appeal and a Canadian response to it. The final declaration of this meeting called for awareness and action:
We young Canadians appeal to all young Canadians to join us in mobilization against hunger, against disease and against oppression, to undertake projects to increase understanding among people and to seek the attainment of human dignity and freedom. We appeal to every young Canadian to act on these ideals, now, before they are forgotten.
If not us – who? If not now – when?[15]
The Young World Appeal was funded by Massey-Fergusson of Canada, and its final conference (the Young World Food and Development Conference) was held in Toronto in 1967.[16] Schools and youth organizations undertook a variety of projects and initiatives across the country.[17] The Young World Mobilization Appeal was in part the product of the International Cooperation Year. A second development arising from the ICY was the decision by Canada’s Centennial Commission to provide funds for a special effort described in the following terms:
Working within the broad context of Canadian Centennial celebrations, to endeavor to increase substantially public awareness in Canada of our obligations and opportunities to participate in international development.
Through a variety of methods, the CIDP will provide a dynamic and outward looking international dimension to our centennial celebrations.
Within this broad objective, specific aims will be to increase the contributions made by Canadians to non-governmental organizations in overseas development; to involve other non-governmental organizations in overseas development as a priority field of service, and generally to encourage and stimulate Canadians to recognize their responsibilities as citizens of the world.[18]
The ICY Committee in Canada was asked to reorganize itself into what became known as the Centennial International Development Programme. The CIDP stimulated community participation in development activities, cooperated with other voluntary agencies and developed a youth program. CIDP organized and financed a youth seminar in October, 1966 in support of the Young World Appeal. The seminar involved the participation of 30 young people and the program was so successful that these youth became a corps responsible for developing the spirit in Canadian high schools that made the Share/Canada’s March for Millions campaign a success.[19]
3-D Development
In the 1990s and 2000s, CHF continued to develop expertise in capacity building projects in Africa, Asia and the Americas. By the end of the 1990s, CHF had undertaken projects focussed in improved food- and water-security in eight countries, and had completed the first phase of a bio gas project that brought clean energy to millions of individuals across India. These efforts continued in the next decade, as did CHF’s periodic responses to natural disasters and crisis situations. The bio-gas project foreshadowed a general increase in the size of projects undertaken by CHF. In Ethiopia CHF engaged in an eight-year project to combat the effects of prolonged drought and in south Sudan CHF worked to reintegrate refugees, remove landmines, improve food security, and promote sustainable livelihoods and development for nearly 150,000 people.[20] This period saw CHF increase a focus on developing and supporting sustainable livelihoods, encourage entrepreneurial initiatives and promote gender equality.
Since its inception, CHF had engaged in development education efforts in Canadian schools and community groups. These efforts were later formalized as CHF’s Global Education Program that aimed to raise awareness among Canadians about development issues affecting the rural poor in developing countries. The Global Education Program addressed issues such as hunger, poverty, inequalities the environment and invited students to address these issues by supporting CHF’s development projects. By the early 2000s, the program had reached more than 13,000 students and 750 teachers. In addition, CHF’s curriculum materials were available to more than 30,000 students, educators and families.[21]
In its last two decades, CHF began to articulate its work as a “Three-Dimensional” approach to development. This meant that the organization framed its work as an identification of assets, opportunities and strengths rather than focussing on problems. [F2] Projects that exemplified this approach included efforts to break the “famine/relief” cycle in Ethiopia, promotion of institutional support and identification of alternate incomes for farmers in Ghana, peacebuilding in southern Sudan, capacity building for AIDS-affected areas of Africa, support for community organizations in South America and Asia and an assortment of other projects.
2011 marked the foundation’s fiftieth anniversary. This was a point where CHF could boast five decades of success in developing countries and in Canada, but it was also a point where conditions emerged that lead to the end of active operations. The focus had shifted from public education and the management of small development projects to a holistic approach designed to build capacity for whole communities. By 2011, CHF had undertaken projects in 52 countries on four continents[22] and mobilized millions of dollars in development aid.
The End of Active Operations
Success in its projects and pervasive need in meant that CHF continued to expand its efforts, but the loss of an important sponsor[23] and investments combined with unsatisfactory fundraising efforts made continued operations unsustainable. Nicole Goodfellow, Chair of CHF’s Board of Directors, explained that CHF had expanded its reach in recent years to a point where it supported over 420,000 people worldwide, and that “[o]verly ambitious fundraising targets coupled with the loss of a major private sector donor have meant that we haven't been able to keep pace with our financial obligations.”[24] CHF’s President and CEO in 2014-2015, Stewart Hardacre, added that part of the reason for this was a failure in marketing CHF’s work to existing and potential donors.[25]
In 2014, CHF attracted several major projects, but the operational costs outran the organizations ability to raise the revenue to support them. A survey of CHF’s annual reports over its last decade demonstrate a steady trend where total expenses exceeded total revenues, and the gap became more pronounced in its last four years. The recent downturn in investment revenues and other losses compounded the problem, and the result was closure of the organization and liquidation of its assets. The news, however, is not all bad.
Some of CHF’s work was continued as projects were handed over to the World University Service of Canada and the Canadian Feed the Children. Canadian Feed the Children was selected to operate the Resilient and Sustainable Livelihoods Transformation (RESULT) project in northern Ghana; and Market-Led Improved Livelihoods in Eastern Amhara Region (MILEAR) in Ethiopia. These projects are supporting 275,000 people to achieve greater food security, improved agricultural production, better nutrition and greater income in some of northern Ghana’s and Ethiopia’s most impoverished communities.[26] The CHF Promotion of Regional Opportunities for Produce through Enterprises and Linkages (PROPEL) project has been transferred to the World University Service of Canada (WUSC). The PROPEL project helps smallholder Caribbean farmers facilitate the safe, effective and efficient movement of fresh produce from their farms to high-value markets. The project is designed to create effective linkages in order to create sustainable economic opportunities for farmers, their communities and their countries.[27] The projects were initiated by CHF and supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD).
In addition to a continuation of CHF projects by WUSC and the Canadian Feed the Children, CHF has left a legacy of improved conditions in rural communities, sustainable agricultural and economic development, and improved livelihoods for millions of individuals around the world. The story of CHF mirrors that of the Freedom From Hunger Campaign; it vastly outlived its original mandate, grew beyond a focus on promoting awareness of hunger and poverty issues to involvement in development projects, and it was instrumental in the creation of the international development movement in Canada and internationally.
The Canadian FFH Committee (CHF) was one of the strongest of the national committees, and is an excellent example of the kind of sustained effort Sen had sought to generate.[28] It is important to recognize that CHF was one of many committees to help shape modern international development, and in its first decades was a part of a global movement toward humanitarianism and activism. CHF had emerged in the context of broad public and governmental support, and its influence grew in part from its early emergence, the attention it received from the Government of Canada and its close affiliation with FAO. As years progressed and the number of development agencies and NGOs proliferated, the organization had to compete for a finite amount of funds and a niche in which it could most effectively contribute. Its closure is unfortunate, but the work of agricultural and economic development it helped pioneer is a permanent feature of Canada and the world.
[1] The Government of Canada contributed $23, 000 to an FAO Trust Fund to support the international FFHC and provided the Canadian FFHC committee with office space and limited administrative support.
[2] [2]As of January, 1960 the member organizations of the Canadian Freedom From Hunger Campaign Committee were: the Anglican Church of Canada, the Agricultural Institute of Canada, the Association Forestiere Quebecois, the Canadian Agricultural Chemicals Association, the Canadian Association for Adult Education, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Canadian Catholic Conference, the Canadian Citizenship Council, the Canadian Council of Churches, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, the Canadian Federation of Newman’s Clubs, the Canadian Fertilizer Association, the Canadian Friends’ Service Committee, the Canadian Dietetic Association, the Canadian Home Economics Association, the Canadian Institute of Food Technology, the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Canadian Labour Congress, the Canadian Lutheran World Relief, the Canadian Red Cross Society, the Canadian Save the Children Fund, the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association, the Canadian Seed Trade Association, CARE of Canada, Caritas-Canada, the Conseil des Oeuvres de Montreal, the Cooperative Union of Canada,, the Corporation des Agronomes du Québec, Croix d’Or, the Confederation Synd. Nationaux, the Federated Women’s Institutes of Canada, Jeunesse rurale Catholique, L’Union Catholique des Cultivateurs, the Meat Packers’ Council of Canada, the Mennonite Central Committee, the National Council of Jewish Women, the National Council of Women of Canada, the National Farm Radio Forum, the Presbyterian Church of Canada, the Sociéeté Canadienne d’Establissement rural Ltée, the Société St. Vincent de Paul, the Students’ Christian Movement, the Toronto Junior Board of Trade, the United Church of Canada, the United Nations Association in Canada, the Unitarian Service Committee of Canada, the Voice of Women, Canada, the Women’s International League for Peace and freedom, the World federation Against Hunger and Misery, the Young Men’s Christian Association, and the Young Women’s Christian Association of Canada. H.L. Trueman, “Member Organizations, Canadian Freedom From Hunger Committee” (National Archives of Canada, MG 28, I-66, Box 161, FFH Correspondence (152), 17 January, 1962).
[3] Canadian Hunger Foundation, “Canada’s Contribution to the Freedom From Hunger Campaign” (National Archives of Canada, MG 29, I-395, vol 2, file 102-6, Annual general Meeting – Minutes 1960-1973), 1.
[4] Charles H. Weitz. Interview, 5-6 October 2005.
[5] Hunger was a periodical published quarterly from 1965 until the early 1990s. It informed on CHF activities and those of other FFHC committees, on the Freedom From Hunger Campaign, and development efforts in Canada.
[6] Canadian Hunger Foundation, Hunger 1 (January-March, 1965), 1.
[7] Founding Organizations of CHF included: the Agricultural institute of Canada, the Alberta Wheat Pool, the Anglican Church of Canada, British Columbia Packers; Canadian Council of 4H Clubs, the Canadian Friends Service Committee, the Canadian Home Economics Association, the Canadian Labour Congress, the Canadian Red Cross Society, Canadian Save the Children Fund; Coady International, the Cooperative Union of Canada, the Federated Women’s Institutes of Canada, Johnson Wire Works, Caritas Sherbrooke, Oxfam Canada, Salada Foods Ltd., and the United Church of Canada.
[8] FAO, “Freedom From Hunger Campaign Project: Regional Training Centre in Food Technology for Asia and the Far East” (National Archives of Canada, MG 28, I-395, Vol, 23, file 23-11, regional Training Centre Vol I, 1962), 1.
[9] Canadian Hunger Foundation, “The Canada-Mysore project: The Organizations Involved” (National Archives of Canada, MG 28, I-395, Vol 23, file 23-11, Regional Training Centre – Vol I, 1962, July, 1965), 1. The inaugural President was Chancellor FCA Jeanneret of the University of Toronto; Honorary Co-Chairman were celebrated comedians Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster; Honorary Vice-Presidents were Prime Minister Lester Pearson, and the other principal Party Leaders: John G. Diefenbaker, Tommy Douglas, Réal Caouette, and Robert Thompson. Later additions to the list of Honorary Vice-Presidents included leaders of religious organizations and senior executives from labour and industry. Ibid., 4.
[10] These activities included collection of funds, meetings between Prime Minister Pearson and Project Officers, initiatives by Cadet Corps, university students, communities and service clubs. Comedians Wayne and Shuster did radio and television commercials in markets across the country, radio stations and newspapers supported the Project, and numerous articles and editorials were written. Canada-Mysore Project, “Newsletter – September, 1964” (National Archives of Canada, MG 28, I-395, Vol 23, file 23-11, Regional Training Centre – Vol I, 1962), 1-2.
[11] Ibid., 5.
[12] Canadian Hunger Foundation, Untitled Document. (National Archives of Canada, MG 28, I-395, Vol 23, file 23-11, Regional Training Centre – Vol I, 1962), 1.
[13] Canada-Mysore Project, “Meeting of the Industry Committee, Canada Mysore Project” (National Archives of Canada, MG 28, I-395, Vol 23, file 23-11, Regional Training Centre – Vol I, 1962, 4 November, 1965), 1.
[14] Norbert Préfontaine, Executive Director, Canadian Centenary Council. Letter to R.K. Porter ” (National Archives of Canada, MG 28, I-395, Vol 23, file 23-11, Regional Training Centre – Vol I, 1962, 23 September, 1965), 1.
[15] Final Declaration of the Canadian Young World Appeal.
[16] Massey-Fergusson’s involvement in the Young World Appeal was shaped by discussions with the Government of Canada and with the Canadian Hunger Foundation. It was the Director of CHF who made the official announcement of MF’s half million dollar donation to finance the Appeal. CHF devoted a special issue of Hunger to the Appeal and the Toronto Conference. Canadian Hunger Foundation, “Canada’s Contribution to the Freedom From Hunger Campaign” (National Archives of Canada, MG 29, I-395, Vol 2, file 2-5, Annual General Meeting – Minutes 1960-1973, Vol I), 4.
[17] An interesting example of an FFHC/YWA inspired action by young people occurred in Winnipeg in 1965. Using large spikes, a group of young people posted a list of 14 points on world hunger to a church door. The congregation was horrified by the desecration of church property; during the service the young people burst into the church, marched down the center aisle, and asked for the right to address the congregation. The Pastor allowed the address, and for the next half hour the youth discussed the fourteen points before leaving. Charles H. Weitz, Email, 16 November, 2006.
[18] Canadian Hunger Foundation, “Canada’s Contribution to the Freedom From Hunger Campaign” (National Archives of Canada, MG 29, I-395, Vol 2, file 2-5, Annual General Meeting – Minutes 1960-1973, Vol I), 3.
[19] Ibid., 3-4. March for Millions was also known as ‘Miles for Millions’. This was a national initiative where participants in the events raised funds based on their participation. The initiative was so successful it became an NGO unto itself.
[20] CHF: Partners in Rural Development, 2010 Annual Report, 15.
[21] CHF: Partners in Rural Development, 2004 Annual Report, 1.
[22] There were: Argentina, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, India Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Lesotho, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Korea, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uruguay, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
[23] A major donor to CHF was the Sprott Foundation what supported CHF through the Eric Sprott Endowment for International Development, but this funding was discontinued after 2013.
[24] Kristen Shane, “Anatomy of an NGO Closure,” Embassy. August 12, 2015.
[25] Ibid.
[26] Canadian Feed the Children. www.canadianfeedthechildren.ca; CHF: Partners in Rural Development, www.chf.ca. Accessed September 23, 2015.
[27] World University Service of Canada. www.wusc.ca; CHF: Partners in Rural Development, www.chf.ca. Accessed September 23, 2015.
[28] Other national committees that enjoyed success, and which continue to operate, are Australia (now Oxfam Australia), Ireland (Gorta), Germany (Welthungerhilfe) and the United States (Freedom From Hunger Foundation).
The Canadian Hunger Foundation (CHF: Partners in Rural Development) was one of Canada’s most esteemed and venerable development organizations, but it ended active operations in July of 2015. The passing of CHF is lamentable, but the organization can be celebrated for its legacy, its influence, and its role in bringing a Canadian voice to the fight against hunger and malnutrition. CHF was among the first non-governmental organizations specifically dedicated to agricultural development, and was a key influence on the shaping of public perception on the issue and on the shaping of Canadian official aid policy.
Origins
In 1960, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched the Freedom From Hunger Campaign (FFHC) in order to raise awareness of the problem of hunger and malnutrition and possible solutions to that problem. FAO Director-General, B.R. Sen, invited governments to initiate national committees to support the campaign and its objectives. In the same year, with the support of the Government of Canada,[1] a national Freedom From Hunger Campaign committee (CFFHC) was initiated under the leadership of Wilson Woodside, national director of the United Nations Association. The founding committee included Dr. L.E. Kirk, formerly with FAO, Herbert Hanam, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, and Howard Trueman, Foreign Agricultural Relations Officer with the Canadian Department of Agriculture. CHHFC was formally inaugurated under the chairmanship of Mitchell Sharp, who later became a cabinet minister under prime ministers Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Trudeau. CFFHC supported the work of FFHC at a national level, contributed to and disseminated information produced by FAO, facilitated the work of other NGOs, and supported individual development projects. Numerous organizations supported development projects organized under the auspices of FFHC, and many maintained long-term involvement in CFFHC, FFHC and development issues.[2] The Canadian Freedom From Hunger Committee defined the purpose of a national FFH Campaign committee as :
to inform people on the problems of food and population and to stimulate more rapid action for the alleviation and eventual elimination of hunger. In the developed nations we have the added responsibility of providing money, equipment, and personnel to assist in speeding up the self-help programmes in less fortunate countries.[3]
This would remain the mandate of the organization until its reorganization into the Canadian Hunger Foundation in 1964.
Director-General Sen initiated FFHC to begin a process that he knew would force FAO and other UN agencies to begin the serious work of gathering information on population, the health and viability of communities in developed and developing countries, and available resources. Sen proposed the First World Food Congress in 1963 as a deadline for the compilation and sharing of the initial data gathered under the auspices of the campaign. The Congress was a meeting of the initial national Freedom From Hunger committees, dignitaries, experts and individuals and was the first time that the scale and scope of world hunger situation was first understood. John F. Kennedy gave the keynote address to open the Congress where he called attention to the urgency of the problem and encouraged action. The Congress was an important stimulus for the beginning of the modern international development movement. Sen and the Congress organizers intended that the event bring together donors and recipients in the same forum, and that attendees participate as individuals and not as representatives of governments or organizations. FFHC international coordinator, Charles H. Weitz captured the essence of the event, “…you had a student from Canada at the table with the Prime Minister of India, you had heads of NGOs sitting with Ministers and Statesmen, African mothers with Swiss businessmen…it was remarkable.”[4]
In Canada, as in many other nations in both the developed and developing world, a result of the Congress was that the realities of underdevelopment, hunger and malnutrition were increasingly understood by government and the public. An initial result was the Indicative World Plan for Agricultural Development (IWP), which became a platform for action. What followed was a proliferation of development NGOs and broad public support for these organizations, and CFFHC/CHF was instrumental in identifying areas of need and potential action, and in directing resources accordingly. Members of the CFFHC attended the Congress, and like many other attendees, left the Congress in the knowledge that efforts would need to be global in scale and long-term in nature. The members of the CFFHC realised that Canadian committee must undertake organizational change in order to effectively address the problems identified at the Congress; CFFHC would be reorganized as the Canadian Hunger Foundation. It was not until the 1970s after a second organizational restructuring that CHF undertook serious project work; this change was a result of CHF’s pioneering work in the development of a food technology institute in Mysore India, known as the Canada-Mysore Project, and in the Canada+One project.[F1] In the late 1960s and into the 1970s, CHF was a pioneer in what became known as “appropriate technology,” a concept taken for granted today but which was virtually unknown and untested then.
The Canadian Hunger Foundation
In 1964 the Canadian Hunger Foundation was created to continue the work of the CHHFC, whose mandate would expire in 1965, and to continue the work of the Freedom From Hunger Campaign on a permanent basis.
The objectives and activities of CHF were outlined in the first issue of Hunger[5] in the winter of 1965:
Believing [the fight against hunger] to be a long term effort, and in order to give the community beyond the initial Freedom from Hunger Campaign period, the Canadian Hunger Foundation has been established to act as an information and servicing agency.
The following are some of the things the Foundation does:
1. Encourages public support for the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization and related Agencies of the United Nations in promoting agricultural development in food-deficient countries. The Foundation provides facilities for assembling and transmitting funds and for signing contracts with FAO and developing countries for carrying out and assisting development projects. It also assists in recruiting experts and locating training facilities for scholars and trainees from overseas engaged in the development of projects supported by non-governmental organizations and funds.
2. Provides a regular news-letter service to members and to the press and radio covering general progress toward freedom from hunger, reports of Canadian projects and Canadians serving outside of Canada, sources of films and pictures, book and periodical reviews, and other information pertinent to Canada’s participation in agricultural development overseas.
3. Provides information and teaching materials for public and high schools, and guidance for adult leaders and groups on how to participate in freedom from hunger activities.
4. Maintains a regular exchange of information with non-governmental organizations in other countries on the progress of constructive measures to relieve hunger and want.
5. Arranges for the publication and the publicizing of basic reliable information on Canadian international activities which might otherwise fail to receive adequate attention.[6]
In 1965, the outgoing Chair of CFFHC was George McIvor, Director of CIBC. The first executive director of CHF was Howard Trueman, formerly of the Canadian Department of Agriculture. Mr. Trueman was responsible for much of the success of CHF in the 1960s, and was personally involved in most of the organization’s operations. CHF was associated with prominent politicians such as Lester B. Pearson, Mitchell, Sharp, Paul Martin Sr., Tommy Douglas and others, and CHF was an important site for leadership by a host of top business executives.[7]
In 1959, the FAO Regional Seminar on Food Technology for Asia and the Far East, held in Mysore, India, recommended that FAO investigate the possibilities of establishing in the region a permanent food technology training center. The institute would train students from various parts of the region on the storage and preservation of food products. In January, 1961, the Canadian Institute of Food Technology (CIFT) contacted FAO in search of ways in which they could contribute to FFHC.[8] The FAO Nutrition Division suggested that CIFT follow up on the recommendations of the Mysore seminar. CIFT and then the Canadian Freedom From Hunger Committee were immediately interested in the Project, and FAO and CFFHC began cooperation on what would eventually become the Canada-Mysore Project. By the autumn of 1962, the Mysore project was considered as a joint project of the Indian Government, FAO, and the Canadian Freedom From Hunger Committee.
The Canada-Mysore Project was the first major initiative of CFFHC; it was an early example of the application of “appropriate technology” and would set the organization on the path to become an independent development organization. By 1965, a fundraising committee including the heads of 30 Canadian companies and supported by more than 80 Members of Parliament raised more than US$500,000 in support of the project. This centre continues to operate today as a major research facility and has been designated an Affiliate of the United Nations University. CHF was a key supporter of the project until the mid-1970s, and as a result of this project, appropriate technology became an area of expertise for CHF.
The organizations involved in the Project were FAO, CHF, and the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI). The initial supporting organizations were the United Nations Association in Canada, the National Council of Women of Canada, the Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom, the Canadian Institute of Food Technology, the Canadian Dietetic Association, and the Canadian Home Economics Association. National organizations including the Canadian Save the Children Fund, Oxfam of Canada, CARE of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada made donations to the project, as did numerous individual churches, service clubs, universities, colleges, schools and thousands of private individuals.[9] On 15 September, 1965, Prime Minister Pearson launched Canada-Mysore Week, and numerous organizations undertook activities in support of the project.[10]
In April, 1965, the Training Centre was officially inaugurated. By this time Project organizers had received messages of congratulations from U Thant, Indian Prime Minister Shastri, Adlai Stevenson, and Sargent Shriver. After the inauguration CHF received congratulations and personal gifts from the Duke of Edinburgh, the President of India, the Governor General of Canada, heads of governments of India, Canada, the USSR, Australia, Jamaica, Japan, Pakistan, Ceylon, Korea, Hong Kong, Israel, the Republic of China, and Her Royal Highness Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg.[11] In the same year the Canada-Mysore Project was named an Official Centennial Project by the Canadian Centenary Council.[12] The Campbell Soup Company supported several seminars and some student accommodations, the province of Saskatchewan Jubilee and Centennial Committee adopted the Project, and Canada-Mysore received support from the Young World Mobilization Appeal. The Industry Committee of the Canada-Mysore Project agreed with this proposal, suggesting that the food industry been looking for a rallying point for the Centennial celebrations.[13] The Centenary Council responded to communications from the Industry Committee, and recommended Canada-Mysore for industrial support as part of the Centennial program,[14] and in 1966 the Project was designated a Canadian Centennial Project by the Canadian Centenary Council.
Canada-Mysore led directly to the development of the Canada+One Project. Canada+One ran from 1968 to 1973 and involved the development of mobile training units (MTUs) for use in combating food losses due to spoilage. These MTUs were used all over the world in a variety of applications, and the project was supported by more than 200 industrial partners. The committee organizing Canada+One was chaired by George Metcalfe, President of Loblaw’s, who presided over a committee composed of: Harold Thomson, Vice-Chairman of CIBC; John Leitch, Chairman, Maple Leaf Mills; W.P. Wilder, President Wood Gundy Securities; George Huffman, Vice President Loblaw’s; and J.O. Hughes, President A.E. Ames and Company. International Harvester developed and built the MTUs.
Experience with Canada-Mysore and Canada+One led to a change at CHF from a mandate to raise funds for other NGOs to one where CHF sought funds for its own overseas development projects. In 1971, CHF became a charitable organization under the Canada Corporations Act, and after this point was responsible for the administration of more than 800 individual development projects and a sophisticated development education program. The work of CHF in the 1970s was dominated by three themes: administration of individual development projects, appropriate technology, and information/education programs. In 1976, CHF collaborated with the Brace Research Institute to produce the Handbook on Appropriate Technology. The Handbook was quickly in high demand around the world and is still used today. The Handbook was part of the Tools for Development Project which CHF had initiated in 1970. Tools for Development explored new ways to provide economic and social assistance, and sought to augment larger development schemes with simple, small scale solutions and devices.
In 1970, companies in the food industry that had supported CHF in the past were invited to become “life members” by providing seed money for the Foundation’s new role in overseas projects. Initial life members were: The Borden Co., Campbell Soup, Canada Packers, Canada Starch, Canadian Salt, Carnation, Christie, Brown and Co., Coca Cola Ltd., Continental Can Co., Corporate Foods, General Foods, Griffith Laboratories Ltd., Kelly Douglas Co., Kraft Foods, Lever Brothers, Thomas J. Lipton, Maple Leaf Mills, William Neilson Ltd., Reynolds Aluminum, Robin Hood Multifoods, Rowntree Co., St. Lawrence Starch, Salada Foods, Warner-Lambert Canada, William Wrigley Jr. Co.
The Canadian Hunger Foundation was instrumental in the organization of modern development programs in Canada — both official and unofficial. FFHC and CHF pioneered an increased profile for NGOs, youth, and private industry, and individuals directly associated with these initiatives were later recruited by Canadian officials who hoped to implement similar programs at the External Aid Office and later at the Canadian International Development Agency. After the reorganization of Canada’s aid program in the late 1960s, CHF moved from a role supporting other NGOs to one more focussed on administration of its own overseas development projects. CHF continued to do the work of FFHC — which had added the “Action for Development” phrase to its moniker — but was now more independent in character and more reliant on CIDA for funds. In the 1980s, CHF was among the first NGOs to participate in CIDA’s country focus to its bi-lateral aid programs. Through this approach, large development schemes were able to take advantage of the effectiveness of NGOs at a grass roots level. Involvement in World Food day lead to the development of new school programs — including the publication of the periodical Two Thirds, which was directed at high school students. CHF continued to partner with other NGOs, and remained part of the FFHC network until the Campaign ended in the early 1980s.
Youth
The Canadian Hunger Foundation was an early and enthusiastic supporter of youth and youth organizations in the fight against hunger. Canada launched its participation in FAO’s Young World Appeal on 15-16 October, 1965 — the same time as the Appeal was being launched in Rome. One hundred and fifty young Canadians representing schools and youth organizations met under the auspices of the Overseas Institute of Canada to discuss the Appeal and a Canadian response to it. The final declaration of this meeting called for awareness and action:
We young Canadians appeal to all young Canadians to join us in mobilization against hunger, against disease and against oppression, to undertake projects to increase understanding among people and to seek the attainment of human dignity and freedom. We appeal to every young Canadian to act on these ideals, now, before they are forgotten.
If not us – who? If not now – when?[15]
The Young World Appeal was funded by Massey-Fergusson of Canada, and its final conference (the Young World Food and Development Conference) was held in Toronto in 1967.[16] Schools and youth organizations undertook a variety of projects and initiatives across the country.[17] The Young World Mobilization Appeal was in part the product of the International Cooperation Year. A second development arising from the ICY was the decision by Canada’s Centennial Commission to provide funds for a special effort described in the following terms:
Working within the broad context of Canadian Centennial celebrations, to endeavor to increase substantially public awareness in Canada of our obligations and opportunities to participate in international development.
Through a variety of methods, the CIDP will provide a dynamic and outward looking international dimension to our centennial celebrations.
Within this broad objective, specific aims will be to increase the contributions made by Canadians to non-governmental organizations in overseas development; to involve other non-governmental organizations in overseas development as a priority field of service, and generally to encourage and stimulate Canadians to recognize their responsibilities as citizens of the world.[18]
The ICY Committee in Canada was asked to reorganize itself into what became known as the Centennial International Development Programme. The CIDP stimulated community participation in development activities, cooperated with other voluntary agencies and developed a youth program. CIDP organized and financed a youth seminar in October, 1966 in support of the Young World Appeal. The seminar involved the participation of 30 young people and the program was so successful that these youth became a corps responsible for developing the spirit in Canadian high schools that made the Share/Canada’s March for Millions campaign a success.[19]
3-D Development
In the 1990s and 2000s, CHF continued to develop expertise in capacity building projects in Africa, Asia and the Americas. By the end of the 1990s, CHF had undertaken projects focussed in improved food- and water-security in eight countries, and had completed the first phase of a bio gas project that brought clean energy to millions of individuals across India. These efforts continued in the next decade, as did CHF’s periodic responses to natural disasters and crisis situations. The bio-gas project foreshadowed a general increase in the size of projects undertaken by CHF. In Ethiopia CHF engaged in an eight-year project to combat the effects of prolonged drought and in south Sudan CHF worked to reintegrate refugees, remove landmines, improve food security, and promote sustainable livelihoods and development for nearly 150,000 people.[20] This period saw CHF increase a focus on developing and supporting sustainable livelihoods, encourage entrepreneurial initiatives and promote gender equality.
Since its inception, CHF had engaged in development education efforts in Canadian schools and community groups. These efforts were later formalized as CHF’s Global Education Program that aimed to raise awareness among Canadians about development issues affecting the rural poor in developing countries. The Global Education Program addressed issues such as hunger, poverty, inequalities the environment and invited students to address these issues by supporting CHF’s development projects. By the early 2000s, the program had reached more than 13,000 students and 750 teachers. In addition, CHF’s curriculum materials were available to more than 30,000 students, educators and families.[21]
In its last two decades, CHF began to articulate its work as a “Three-Dimensional” approach to development. This meant that the organization framed its work as an identification of assets, opportunities and strengths rather than focussing on problems. [F2] Projects that exemplified this approach included efforts to break the “famine/relief” cycle in Ethiopia, promotion of institutional support and identification of alternate incomes for farmers in Ghana, peacebuilding in southern Sudan, capacity building for AIDS-affected areas of Africa, support for community organizations in South America and Asia and an assortment of other projects.
2011 marked the foundation’s fiftieth anniversary. This was a point where CHF could boast five decades of success in developing countries and in Canada, but it was also a point where conditions emerged that lead to the end of active operations. The focus had shifted from public education and the management of small development projects to a holistic approach designed to build capacity for whole communities. By 2011, CHF had undertaken projects in 52 countries on four continents[22] and mobilized millions of dollars in development aid.
The End of Active Operations
Success in its projects and pervasive need in meant that CHF continued to expand its efforts, but the loss of an important sponsor[23] and investments combined with unsatisfactory fundraising efforts made continued operations unsustainable. Nicole Goodfellow, Chair of CHF’s Board of Directors, explained that CHF had expanded its reach in recent years to a point where it supported over 420,000 people worldwide, and that “[o]verly ambitious fundraising targets coupled with the loss of a major private sector donor have meant that we haven't been able to keep pace with our financial obligations.”[24] CHF’s President and CEO in 2014-2015, Stewart Hardacre, added that part of the reason for this was a failure in marketing CHF’s work to existing and potential donors.[25]
In 2014, CHF attracted several major projects, but the operational costs outran the organizations ability to raise the revenue to support them. A survey of CHF’s annual reports over its last decade demonstrate a steady trend where total expenses exceeded total revenues, and the gap became more pronounced in its last four years. The recent downturn in investment revenues and other losses compounded the problem, and the result was closure of the organization and liquidation of its assets. The news, however, is not all bad.
Some of CHF’s work was continued as projects were handed over to the World University Service of Canada and the Canadian Feed the Children. Canadian Feed the Children was selected to operate the Resilient and Sustainable Livelihoods Transformation (RESULT) project in northern Ghana; and Market-Led Improved Livelihoods in Eastern Amhara Region (MILEAR) in Ethiopia. These projects are supporting 275,000 people to achieve greater food security, improved agricultural production, better nutrition and greater income in some of northern Ghana’s and Ethiopia’s most impoverished communities.[26] The CHF Promotion of Regional Opportunities for Produce through Enterprises and Linkages (PROPEL) project has been transferred to the World University Service of Canada (WUSC). The PROPEL project helps smallholder Caribbean farmers facilitate the safe, effective and efficient movement of fresh produce from their farms to high-value markets. The project is designed to create effective linkages in order to create sustainable economic opportunities for farmers, their communities and their countries.[27] The projects were initiated by CHF and supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD).
In addition to a continuation of CHF projects by WUSC and the Canadian Feed the Children, CHF has left a legacy of improved conditions in rural communities, sustainable agricultural and economic development, and improved livelihoods for millions of individuals around the world. The story of CHF mirrors that of the Freedom From Hunger Campaign; it vastly outlived its original mandate, grew beyond a focus on promoting awareness of hunger and poverty issues to involvement in development projects, and it was instrumental in the creation of the international development movement in Canada and internationally.
The Canadian FFH Committee (CHF) was one of the strongest of the national committees, and is an excellent example of the kind of sustained effort Sen had sought to generate.[28] It is important to recognize that CHF was one of many committees to help shape modern international development, and in its first decades was a part of a global movement toward humanitarianism and activism. CHF had emerged in the context of broad public and governmental support, and its influence grew in part from its early emergence, the attention it received from the Government of Canada and its close affiliation with FAO. As years progressed and the number of development agencies and NGOs proliferated, the organization had to compete for a finite amount of funds and a niche in which it could most effectively contribute. Its closure is unfortunate, but the work of agricultural and economic development it helped pioneer is a permanent feature of Canada and the world.
[1] The Government of Canada contributed $23, 000 to an FAO Trust Fund to support the international FFHC and provided the Canadian FFHC committee with office space and limited administrative support.
[2] [2]As of January, 1960 the member organizations of the Canadian Freedom From Hunger Campaign Committee were: the Anglican Church of Canada, the Agricultural Institute of Canada, the Association Forestiere Quebecois, the Canadian Agricultural Chemicals Association, the Canadian Association for Adult Education, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Canadian Catholic Conference, the Canadian Citizenship Council, the Canadian Council of Churches, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, the Canadian Federation of Newman’s Clubs, the Canadian Fertilizer Association, the Canadian Friends’ Service Committee, the Canadian Dietetic Association, the Canadian Home Economics Association, the Canadian Institute of Food Technology, the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Canadian Labour Congress, the Canadian Lutheran World Relief, the Canadian Red Cross Society, the Canadian Save the Children Fund, the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association, the Canadian Seed Trade Association, CARE of Canada, Caritas-Canada, the Conseil des Oeuvres de Montreal, the Cooperative Union of Canada,, the Corporation des Agronomes du Québec, Croix d’Or, the Confederation Synd. Nationaux, the Federated Women’s Institutes of Canada, Jeunesse rurale Catholique, L’Union Catholique des Cultivateurs, the Meat Packers’ Council of Canada, the Mennonite Central Committee, the National Council of Jewish Women, the National Council of Women of Canada, the National Farm Radio Forum, the Presbyterian Church of Canada, the Sociéeté Canadienne d’Establissement rural Ltée, the Société St. Vincent de Paul, the Students’ Christian Movement, the Toronto Junior Board of Trade, the United Church of Canada, the United Nations Association in Canada, the Unitarian Service Committee of Canada, the Voice of Women, Canada, the Women’s International League for Peace and freedom, the World federation Against Hunger and Misery, the Young Men’s Christian Association, and the Young Women’s Christian Association of Canada. H.L. Trueman, “Member Organizations, Canadian Freedom From Hunger Committee” (National Archives of Canada, MG 28, I-66, Box 161, FFH Correspondence (152), 17 January, 1962).
[3] Canadian Hunger Foundation, “Canada’s Contribution to the Freedom From Hunger Campaign” (National Archives of Canada, MG 29, I-395, vol 2, file 102-6, Annual general Meeting – Minutes 1960-1973), 1.
[4] Charles H. Weitz. Interview, 5-6 October 2005.
[5] Hunger was a periodical published quarterly from 1965 until the early 1990s. It informed on CHF activities and those of other FFHC committees, on the Freedom From Hunger Campaign, and development efforts in Canada.
[6] Canadian Hunger Foundation, Hunger 1 (January-March, 1965), 1.
[7] Founding Organizations of CHF included: the Agricultural institute of Canada, the Alberta Wheat Pool, the Anglican Church of Canada, British Columbia Packers; Canadian Council of 4H Clubs, the Canadian Friends Service Committee, the Canadian Home Economics Association, the Canadian Labour Congress, the Canadian Red Cross Society, Canadian Save the Children Fund; Coady International, the Cooperative Union of Canada, the Federated Women’s Institutes of Canada, Johnson Wire Works, Caritas Sherbrooke, Oxfam Canada, Salada Foods Ltd., and the United Church of Canada.
[8] FAO, “Freedom From Hunger Campaign Project: Regional Training Centre in Food Technology for Asia and the Far East” (National Archives of Canada, MG 28, I-395, Vol, 23, file 23-11, regional Training Centre Vol I, 1962), 1.
[9] Canadian Hunger Foundation, “The Canada-Mysore project: The Organizations Involved” (National Archives of Canada, MG 28, I-395, Vol 23, file 23-11, Regional Training Centre – Vol I, 1962, July, 1965), 1. The inaugural President was Chancellor FCA Jeanneret of the University of Toronto; Honorary Co-Chairman were celebrated comedians Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster; Honorary Vice-Presidents were Prime Minister Lester Pearson, and the other principal Party Leaders: John G. Diefenbaker, Tommy Douglas, Réal Caouette, and Robert Thompson. Later additions to the list of Honorary Vice-Presidents included leaders of religious organizations and senior executives from labour and industry. Ibid., 4.
[10] These activities included collection of funds, meetings between Prime Minister Pearson and Project Officers, initiatives by Cadet Corps, university students, communities and service clubs. Comedians Wayne and Shuster did radio and television commercials in markets across the country, radio stations and newspapers supported the Project, and numerous articles and editorials were written. Canada-Mysore Project, “Newsletter – September, 1964” (National Archives of Canada, MG 28, I-395, Vol 23, file 23-11, Regional Training Centre – Vol I, 1962), 1-2.
[11] Ibid., 5.
[12] Canadian Hunger Foundation, Untitled Document. (National Archives of Canada, MG 28, I-395, Vol 23, file 23-11, Regional Training Centre – Vol I, 1962), 1.
[13] Canada-Mysore Project, “Meeting of the Industry Committee, Canada Mysore Project” (National Archives of Canada, MG 28, I-395, Vol 23, file 23-11, Regional Training Centre – Vol I, 1962, 4 November, 1965), 1.
[14] Norbert Préfontaine, Executive Director, Canadian Centenary Council. Letter to R.K. Porter ” (National Archives of Canada, MG 28, I-395, Vol 23, file 23-11, Regional Training Centre – Vol I, 1962, 23 September, 1965), 1.
[15] Final Declaration of the Canadian Young World Appeal.
[16] Massey-Fergusson’s involvement in the Young World Appeal was shaped by discussions with the Government of Canada and with the Canadian Hunger Foundation. It was the Director of CHF who made the official announcement of MF’s half million dollar donation to finance the Appeal. CHF devoted a special issue of Hunger to the Appeal and the Toronto Conference. Canadian Hunger Foundation, “Canada’s Contribution to the Freedom From Hunger Campaign” (National Archives of Canada, MG 29, I-395, Vol 2, file 2-5, Annual General Meeting – Minutes 1960-1973, Vol I), 4.
[17] An interesting example of an FFHC/YWA inspired action by young people occurred in Winnipeg in 1965. Using large spikes, a group of young people posted a list of 14 points on world hunger to a church door. The congregation was horrified by the desecration of church property; during the service the young people burst into the church, marched down the center aisle, and asked for the right to address the congregation. The Pastor allowed the address, and for the next half hour the youth discussed the fourteen points before leaving. Charles H. Weitz, Email, 16 November, 2006.
[18] Canadian Hunger Foundation, “Canada’s Contribution to the Freedom From Hunger Campaign” (National Archives of Canada, MG 29, I-395, Vol 2, file 2-5, Annual General Meeting – Minutes 1960-1973, Vol I), 3.
[19] Ibid., 3-4. March for Millions was also known as ‘Miles for Millions’. This was a national initiative where participants in the events raised funds based on their participation. The initiative was so successful it became an NGO unto itself.
[20] CHF: Partners in Rural Development, 2010 Annual Report, 15.
[21] CHF: Partners in Rural Development, 2004 Annual Report, 1.
[22] There were: Argentina, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, India Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Lesotho, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Korea, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uruguay, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
[23] A major donor to CHF was the Sprott Foundation what supported CHF through the Eric Sprott Endowment for International Development, but this funding was discontinued after 2013.
[24] Kristen Shane, “Anatomy of an NGO Closure,” Embassy. August 12, 2015.
[25] Ibid.
[26] Canadian Feed the Children. www.canadianfeedthechildren.ca; CHF: Partners in Rural Development, www.chf.ca. Accessed September 23, 2015.
[27] World University Service of Canada. www.wusc.ca; CHF: Partners in Rural Development, www.chf.ca. Accessed September 23, 2015.
[28] Other national committees that enjoyed success, and which continue to operate, are Australia (now Oxfam Australia), Ireland (Gorta), Germany (Welthungerhilfe) and the United States (Freedom From Hunger Foundation).