About us
Community Owned Community Supported
Our Mission and Vision
Mission: Together, we fight hunger and its root causes because no one should go hungry.
Vision: A hunger-free community.
The Calgary Food Bank is the first line of emergency food support for families and individuals facing crisis. As the city’s main charitable food hub and the most accessible food bank we have the capacity to serve families, individuals and organizations to fight hunger. We rely solely on the generous support of the community and people like you!
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
OUr Values
CLIENT-CENTRICITY
We provide quality food with compassion, dignity, efficiency, and respect. We build resiliency in clients through the sharing of food. We centre our attention on our clients’ experiences, feedback, and needs so that our clients are treated with dignity and respect.
COMMUNITY
Our community comes together to help people in crisis. Our community’s contributions of food, funds, and time are our primary resources. Every contribution makes an impact.
CLARITY
All stakeholders understand their roles and how they help us meet our vision and mission. We are effective, transparent, and accountable stewards of our community’s resources.
COLLABORATION
We partner with others to address the root causes of food insecurity. We are one important part of a bigger solution.
Numbers reflect our fiscal year, September 1, 2022 to August 31, 2023.
Visits
Volunteer Hours a year
hampers distributed
Food Link Partners
Our History
At the same time the enormous economic downturn in Alberta as a direct result of the National Energy Program forced thousands of oil industry workers into unemployment. Many declared bankruptcy and also remained unemployed or underemployed for five years. The need for a food bank was greater than ever.
Since the early days, partnerships were established with trucking companies and distribution centres to divert refused trailers of food from the landfill to the Food Bank. Then in 2007, the Calgary Food Bank formed a Food Industry Advisory Committee, consisting of industry senior management and owners. An infrastructure was created to redirect products that cannot be sold due to short date, damage, refusal, overstock, packaging issues, end of run or seasonal issues, at the same time maintaining a safe supply of nutritious food for clients and charities. By 2013, 82% of the food collected came from the food industry partnerships.
Working Together
We are a proud member of Food Banks Canada, the national charitable organization dedicated to helping Canadians living with hunger by supporting food banks across the country. The Calgary Food Bank is also part of the provincial association Food Banks Alberta.
Provincial Initiatives
The Calgary Food Bank is part of the 93 member network of food banks that is the provincial association Food Banks Alberta. Provincial initiatives we are involved with include Farm to School and London Drugs.
National Initiatives
Food Banks Canada is a national charitable organization dedicated to helping Canadians living with hunger by supporting more than 500 food banks across the country. Food Banks Canada initiates numerous food and fundraisers to help food banks meet the needs of their communities. When you see these events, know that your participation will make a difference right here at home!
National initiatives we are involved with include: Every Plate Full, Catelli Feed the Hope, Corus Feeds Kids, Hunger Awareness Week, Walmart Fight Hunger, Spark Change, Loblaw’s, Subway, After the Bell, and Campbells Help Hunger Disappear.
A Fresh Take On Collaboration
Food banks work hard to provide a variety of fresh foods such as vegetables, fruit, dairy, protein and eggs to their clients. Increasing the quantity of fresh and whole foods in each client’s food bank hamper shows we care about their health and path to resiliency.
With that in mind, we are excited to introduce Food Bank FRESH Alberta, a new collaborative pilot project with Calgary Food Bank, Edmonton’s Food Bank, Food Banks Alberta and Food Banks Canada to secure increased amounts of nutritious food for the food bank network in Alberta. The goal is to build strong programs with Alberta food producers to glean and distribute quality fresh food to everyone accessing food banks.
While some food banks in Alberta have connections with their local agricultural producers, it can be difficult to accommodate and move fresh food easily across the whole province. This project will work to eliminate barriers and increase a food bank’s ability to capitalize on the generosity of food producers, as well as to collaborate with producers to identify new areas to procure wholesome, fresh, and nutritious food. The food procurement team in Alberta is being led by Amy McKee, the Western Canada Procurement Manager for Food Banks Canada.
Our Affiliates
How You Can Help
Donate Food
Help create a healthy meal by donating our most needed items.
Donate Funds
Donate funds securely online, by mail or in person.
Volunteer
Donate your time. Volunteers are our lifeblood.
Host an event
Get creative and engage your community, host a fundraiser.