Brian interviews Maria Rio, the Director of Development at The Stop Community Food Centre about the challenges of food banks in COVID and now with inflation.

Having come to Canada as a refugee at an early age, Maria developed a passion for human rights that now fuels her drive to help locally and make a difference in the lives of people of various marginalized and often inter-sectional groups. After being assisted by many charities and going through an arduous 12-year immigration process to become a Canadian citizen, Maria devoted herself to working in a charity setting to give back to the industry which had drastically and undeniably improved the course of her life. As a woman, a racialized person, an immigrant, and a member of the LGBTQ2+ community, Maria works diligently every day to ensure that she can make a meaningful difference in the lives of these and other often underrepresented groups.