In Malawi where a significant portion of the population experiences economic hardship, nearly 70 percent of the population live on less than $2.15 a day, and most families depend on small-scale farming plots smaller than a hectare. Droughts, soil degradation, crop disease and lack of access to improved farming practices have long left many vulnerable to hunger and poverty.

In response, The Salvation Army, in partnership with Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB), is implementing a three-year sustainable agriculture and food security (SAFS) project in Malawi’s Mangochi District.

The Salvation Army surveyed more than 1,500 Canadians to better understand their attitudes, behaviours and experiences on issues such as the availability of housing and food, general affordability and related health outcomes.

The Loren Hotels Group has donated furniture and household items to The Salvation Army in Bermuda, which will primarily support the Army’s shelter programs. The hotel group is currently redeveloping the former Elbow Beach Hotel property into a new hospitality site. During an initial walkthrough of the location, members of the construction team noticed that furnishings in some rooms, such as beds, chairs and lamps, had been left behind in good condition. “Instead of throwing all this out, we wanted to give others a chance to use it,” says Billy Dixon of the Loren Hotels Group. “There was no reason for it to go to waste.”