This past year has continued to challenge Calgarians from all sides. There is increasing demand month over month, year over year. The economic upheaval continues to impact so many lives, in so many ways. Social, cultural, and environmental challenges are manifesting in a city that has not seemed to catch a break since 2008’s global financial meltdown and the subsequent 2015 Alberta downturn.
There has been a lot of chatter about donating money instead of food and we would like to set the record straight: give what you can (pun intended).
4 million Canadians are food insecure and struggle to put enough food on the table. Every day they face tough decisions about how to make ends meet.
Over 35 years ago, Calgary Food Bank founders recognized the importance of redirecting viable food to support the community. We continue to connect the dots through food gleaning direct from industry. We connect with food retailers to help them understand the importance of donating quality items; and we work with transportation companies to get the food where it needs to be.
For many agencies in Calgary, food is a critical component of client support. But allocating resources to purchase food or source food donations is costly and time consuming, taking away from addressing the root causes of food insecurity. For 239 agency programs, the Calgary Food Bank’s Food Link program is their place to collect quality food and supplies.