March 2022
SPILL THE BEANS | Newsletter
Hello and Happy March!
We hope that you are all staying healthy and safe with lifted restrictions this month in our province. Unfortunately, we are not “back to normal” quite yet. At the Calgary Food Bank, masks are still required for all staff, clients, partners, and other visitors while onsite. Emergency food hamper distribution still occurs in the parking lot and through satellite locations, and can be requested every 11 days.
If you have been onsite recently, you’ll have noticed renovations are underway! Through these renovations we are improving hamper quality, access to fresh food, and increased choice to better support both households accessing the Calgary Food Bank, and organizations working directly with those facing food insecurity.
These renovations started in late January, and so far, they have been improving some background structures, such as replacing doors and rewiring electrical systems. Our dock area is also getting a facelift in this first phase. Starting March 7th, all partner organization pickups have been moved to Door 7 instead of Door 3. Renovations of the hamper distribution area are scheduled to begin in the spring, and we will provide updates as to how this will affect our food distribution services closer to.
We are looking forward to the opportunity to better support our community in the short term while we work towards long term solutions for fighting the root causes of hunger!
Sincerely,
Laura & Michelle
Emergency Dental Clinics
The cost of dental care is a significant barrier for many low-income families to accessing dental treatment. Fortunately, Calgary has two emergency dental clinics specific for low-income families without dental insurance located at the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre and Sunridge Medical Gallery. Their focus is on emergency dental services to get people out of pain and infection. Basic treatment services are also available on a sliding scale to a maximum of 20% of private treatment. Click ‘Read More’ below to learn about this service.
Exploring Collective Impact:
We know that food insecurity cannot be solved through a single solution or service. Through Tamarack Institute’s Collective Impact workshop series, we have been exploring how we can promote community change through collective impact.
Click ‘Read More’ to access Tamarack Institute’s collective impact resources!
Upcoming Closures:
March 25, 2022: Training Day
April 15, 2022: Good Friday
April 16, 2022: Easter Long Weekend
April 18, 2022: Easter Monday
Ward Profiles
Ever wondered why we collect the information that we do during a hamper request process? Our research team takes household information such as income, expenses and request reason to identify patterns and compare these with the trends we’re seeing in society. We share this data to improve awareness of food insecurity in relation to the financial experience of households using our services. Ward Profiles, which is linked below, is one example of how we use our data to bring to light the issue of poverty, specifically food insecurity in Calgary. Check it out!
Visit our community page to learn more about all our programs so you can see how we can help you and your clients.
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A Taste Of Our Collaborations
We say “only TOGETHER” can we fight hunger and root causes. This happens every single day here at the Calgary Food Bank and in countless ways. This month’s Bite of Information, we want to share some of the great collaborations happening with our community partners.
Egg-citing News!
To mark National Volunteer Week, April 24- 30, we want to celebrate the people who help feed hungry Calgarians all year long. Last year alone, volunteers logged close to 96,500 hours (about 11 years) of time at the Calgary Food Bank.
Empathy In Action
To mark National Volunteer Week, April 24- 30, we want to celebrate the people who help feed hungry Calgarians all year long. Last year alone, volunteers logged close to 96,500 hours (about 11 years) of time at the Calgary Food Bank.