The next time you’re in a big city take a look at the people lining up for a bus, train or streetcar.

Specifically, look at the type of people who are lining up. Are they old? Young? What ethnicity do you think they are? Which culture do they come from? What are they wearing? Do they look happy or sad, stressed or calm?

In my city Toronto, the population is very ethnically diverse. It’s one of the perks, living in this city; we have exposure to a vast repertoire of cultural cuisines, festivals, art and religion. The city is vibrant, bustling and very colourful.

At no time is this more evident than when you scan a group of people waiting for mass transit. So many cultures are represented in a lineup of city inhabitants waiting for a bus.

I saw such a lineup recently when I was on College St near the U of T campus, Kensington Market and Chinatown. That location could, theoretically, be considered part of the downtown core (sort of. It’s slightly north of the downtown core). After finding a municipal parking lot, I wandered around the area to find a coffee shop.

The Second Cup Coffee Company was opposite the little church I photographed and featured on my true (not the fake, impersonated) Instagram account ⬇️: (there are 4 pictures so click to see) see

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While walking to the coffee shop I observed the aforementioned lineup. It was huge, I’d guess about 60-70 people with new ones joining the end of the line. But it wasn’t a regular line, the kind that fades into the background as part of the city landscape. This line had an odd vibe.

For one thing, it was an orderly line featuring one person behind the other, many with grocery carts, empty baby strollers or bikes. I thought it was a little strange at first that the line was so orderly. I reflected on the school children in my neighbourhood and their seemingly disorganized method of lining up to wait for a bus or streetcar. Kids wait in little groups, huddled together as if talking to one another but really scanning their phones in their hands… Nothing seems organized at the bus stops in my ‘hood, not like the line I observed here on College St.

I also observed the line was calm and very quiet. Few people were there as a couple or group, most were individuals, so there wasn’t a lot of chatter. People were patiently standing in the cool sunshine, waiting. Most weren’t even looking at their phones.

Huh.

I looked for the bus stop sign and saw it far away at a traffic signal. The line spanned about two blocks.

They’re never all going to fit on the bus, I thought, once again wondering about the inadequacy of the transit system in this city.

It was at that moment, as I crossed the street and ended up at the front of the line, when I noticed two people from that line step into a storefront. The rest of the line inched forward a bit.

I checked the sign above the store.

FORT YORK FOOD BANK

Seems these people in the line were not waiting for mass transit. These people were waiting to enter the local food bank.

Sigh.

When I got to my coffee shop, I reflected on the people in the line. Many looked like me; clean clothes, sometimes with a phone in hand, warm coat, grocery bag or buggy, maybe a bike with a basket… What I mean by this is none of the people fit the traditional or expected image of homelessness. These people lining up patiently to step into the food bank were, I presume, regular folk with homes, with jobs, with families, probably with kids or grandkids in school…

Rents are sky-high in Toronto as they are in many places, and continually going up. People are struggling to pay the equally sky-high utilities, which these days require internet and mobile phone connections. No wonder at the end of the day there’s nothing left for food.

The statistics on food insecurity, which is the politically correct term that replaces hunger, is grim, and it affects everyone, not just the city dwellers in Toronto. (Article published November 2022.)

I can tell that many items I used to buy pre-pandemic are marked up so high I don’t by buy them until they are on sale. I’m talking about regular items like tea, coffee, even cereal. Don’t even mention produce (which rarely goes on sale; only highly processed items get marked down to buy two get one free, or at half price). Some boxes of those sugary, highly processed cereals the kids like to much, are now priced at $10.99 (up at least 50%) and that’s not even the family sized box.

Insane.

How’s that for a little perspective?

I hope you have enjoyed this post. Thank you for stopping by. It takes but a moment to google your local food bank and make a donation.