Community Support

The Calgary John Howard Society works with people who have had some level of current or historical involvement in the justice system, as well as those at risk of becoming involved. They have partnered with the Calgary Food Bank since 2010 and offer a wide range of programs for men, women, youth and adults. A big part of how they serve their clients is by making sure that basic needs are met, to help achieve this they take advantage of a few of our programs including Food Link.

One example of how food received through the Calgary Food Bank is put to use, is through their halfway houses, Bedford House and Berkana House. These are places for both men and women to stay while they transition out of federal institutions. A few Food Link orders a month keep the pantries in these houses stocked with essential items for residents to access.

Lisa McLean, Team Lead of Adult Community Services, says that utilizing Food Link helps them to support their clients by making a budget stretch.

“A budget is a budget, and grocery store prices are insane these days. So [accessing Food Link] means we can afford more nutritional items. It also  means we can support somebody with another need; like if somebody needs a  ticket so they can get a job, so that they can move out of one of these houses,” she says, “Before accessing the [Calgary] Food Bank we might not have been able to do that for the individual because our focus was on the basic need of food. Having access to Food Link means we have a little bit more money that we can use to access other resources for clients to move forward in life.”

Many of the John Howard Societies’ programs aim to help people move forward in life, and the path to this goal is paved with small successes. Lisa highlights the difficulty of making meaningful progress on an empty stomach.

“The biggest thing we see is if people aren’t eating or don’t have access to the nutritional requirements that they need, they are not able to look for employment, educational opportunities or find housing elsewhere outside of our system of care. If they aren’t eating, they can’t function at an optimal level.”

Support from the Calgary Food Bank also goes towards the Calgary John Howard Society’s youth place-based programs, LEEP (Learning Enhanced Employment Program) and outreach initiatives. Staff are also able to book Emergency Food Hampers on behalf of their clients.

If you would like to learn more about our Food Link program or find out if your organization is eligible for support, click here.