THELMA OBIAKOR, New Westminster, Vancouver Sun

Re: Hundreds, if not thousands, of B.C. kids go to school hungry, Column, Nov. 18

I commend The Sun for its Adopt-a-School program and for taking action and enlightening the public on the issue of childhood poverty.

The number of British Columbians – not only children – living in poverty is huge, appalling and a horrible reflection on our society.

While it is important for the community to step up by participating in the Adopt-a-School program, our charitable donations can only provide short term relief, and it is unfair for the communities to bear this burden alone.

It is imperative that we urge the B.C. government to share some of the weight and find a sustainable, long-term solution to this debilitating problem. Without government intervention, these children have to rely on the kindness of people’s hearts.

As residents of B.C., we should be more than charitable givers.

We should also be democratic citizens and think about social justice.

We should raise our voices, contact our MLAs and engage with our government representatives to ensure that our children are not only assured of having breakfast every morning, but also of having dinner every night.