Mehul Prajapati, an international student in Canada, made a video about using a food bank at school. The vitriol he received was intense

Mehul Prajapati, an international student in Canada, made a video about using a food bank at school. The vitriol he received was intense

  •  atro_city   ( @atro_city@fedia.io ) 
    38•5 months ago

    It soon emerged that he had only worked there as an intern last fall, a 17-week contract that ended in December and didn’t pay $98,000 a year. The website Moneycontrol also reported that he is on a student visa and can’t even work full-time in Canada.

    People will believe anything online. They just want to get riled up.

    I think the bigger story here though is that food banks are necessary in Canada.

    •  some_guy   ( @some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org ) 
      11•5 months ago

      It’s a school program, not a food bank.

      Meanwhile, the “food bank” to which the student was referring was revealed to be a university program and not a public food bank. And it echoed much of what he was saying in the video that got people so riled up.

      On the website for the program, which is run by the Laurier Students’ Public Interest Research Group and Martin Luther University College, it notes: “If you are experiencing marginal, moderate or severe food insecurity, our program is for you to come and take what you need.”

      It adds: “Take as much as you need. We do not limit how much students take because we don’t know how much you need. However, please keep in mind that the supplies we have must be shared amongst many.”

    •  IninewCrow   ( @ininewcrow@lemmy.ca ) English
      2•5 months ago

      How about getting to know and talk to any foreigners especially students you might interact with in public. I go to my local grocery store and see the same international Indian students every week and I’ve gotten to know their names and where they’re from. I’m best friends with them nor do I want to be, I just want them to know that I want to get to know them a bit and be friendly.

      This morning I got my groceries and talked to a young man … a Sikh with a turban … I know he is from Punjab and I greet him with Namaste every time we meet. Really nice guy and we get to have a bit of laugh when we talk. I knew he was in college but today I learned that is working three jobs and covering about 70 hours of work a week to cover his expenses. He looked tired and he said so.