PROGRAM DISCUSSION

The Emergency Food Hamper Program aims to achieve the Calgary Food Bank’s vision of a hunger-free community and attempts to address hunger and food insecurity as the program provides food and community supports to qualified clients​.

An Emergency Food Hamper is a collection of food items providing 7 to ten days’ worth of food to clients based on the household’s size. We strives to meet Canada’s Food Guide recommendations when determining hamper content. There are five specialty hampers distributed through the Emergency Food Hamper Program; baby hampers, birthday party kits, Celiac hampers, prenatal hampers, and renal hampers.

CAUSES Food insecurity in Canada continues to be prominent. As per data collected between 2017 and 2019, in the Calgary region 7.9% households are either moderately or severely food insecure [1]. This insecurity is currently being affected by Calgary’s unemployment rate, reaching 7% in June of 2019 [2]. Low household income, which can be created by unemployment, is the leading cause of food insecurity [3].

EFFECTS There are a number of negative outcomes related to food insecurity, including poor physical and mental health, and increased risk of chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, heart issues, etc.), which creates a drain on the Canadian health care system.

WHO IS AFFECTED The Emergency Food Hamper Program is designed for individuals or households that cannot access food due to financial constraints.

[1] Statistics Canada, “Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2017-2019 pooled data,” 2020.
[2] Statistics Canada, “Labour force characteristics by census metropolitan area,” July 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1410029402. [Accessed 24 July 2019].
[3] Food Banks Canada, “HungerCount 2018,” Food Banks Canada, Mississauga, 2019.

OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES

Emergency Food Hampers provide clients in temporary emergency situations with one week’s worth of food and referrals to outside organizations. Food is provided to low-income and food insecure Calgarians. We connect clients with community resources that can address the underlying issues of food insecurity. 25% of clients are referred to other community agencies.

GOALS The goals for the program are to be within 10%, plus or minus in the coming fiscal year. Our goals in 2019/20 for hampers distributed was met, goals for money saved and clients helped by agencies was exceeded. Our goal for referring to agencies was not met, and this can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.

When a state of emergency was declared in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Calgary Food Bank made immediate changes to the Emergency Food Hamper Program. The purpose of these changes was to ensure the health and safety of volunteers, clients, and staff. The most significant change was the implementation of the outdoor drive-thru model of distribution, followed by online ID validation to reduce physical contact. As many partner organizations closed or reduced operations, we amended its referral policies so that clients could receive immediate food support. Hamper distribution hours and hamper request phone-line hours were increased, as well as the number and frequency of hampers that a household could access within a twelve-month period. Hamper requests are now assessed on a case-by-case basis with no annual cap, and the frequency at which a household could access Emergency Food Hampers is reduced to as soon as ten days.  

Over the course of 2020 we continued to improve the processes that had been introduced in response to COVID-19. These adaptations have been successful in allowing the us to book and process more clients’ requests, therefore increasing the amount of community members whose immediate hunger needs are being met. Some changes, however, have resulted in a more ‘transactional’ process putting much of work the Calgary Food Bank does to refer clients to additional community supports or programs on hold. Indeed, further longitudinal analysis may provide more insight into the detrimental impact of relaxed policies on client dependency and prolonged root cause issues. 

• 72% of programs that had previously referred to the Calgary Food Bank saw a decrease in referrals made. 
• 19% increased their referrals.  
• 157 programs (34%) made no referrals during the period March 2020 – January 2021. 
• 44 new programs (9%) joined during the same period.  

Now, over a year on from the introduction of COVID-19 response policies,we are in the early stages of working to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on partner organizations’ operations, and to take actions to improve communications and referral processes under new circumstances. Surveying 62 agencies and through consequential in-depth interviews about the impact of COVID-19 on their operations, engagement with and experience with the Calgary Food Bank in March 2021, illustrated that not all agencies had knowledge of the Food Bank’s adapted policies in response to COVID-19. The 52 responses to the statement: ‘I have knowledge about the Calgary Food Bank’s change in how many days clients must leave in between hampers (previously 30 days, now 10 days)’, 69.2% somewhat agreed or strongly agreed, while 28.9% somewhat or strongly disagreed. This indicates a significant amount of agency workers who did not have updated information. As such, this identified as an area to improve to ensure that the program’s offerings are equally accessible for clients for whom the agency is their main access point to emergency food. This understanding demonstrates that positive programmatic change, decoupled from proactive, exhaustive communication, renders change less effective and must become a focus area. Already work is underway to build better relationships with agencies; to ensure comprehensive training at the point of joining for all agency workers working in partnership with the Calgary Food Bank via the Emergency Hamper Program and to better understand the channels by which agencies access information about the Food Bank Program and any changes.  

Referrals both to the Food Bank and from the Food Bank to relevant community supports fell drastically during the pandemic and remain lower than previous years (see data on referrals below). While these statistics can be justified by necessary adaptations in response to COVID-19, the more ‘transactional’ process does not serve Calgary Food Bank’s mission to tackle root causes and as referenced earlier, we cannot yet assess the negative impact that relaxed policies may have had a client’s food insecurity. Through closer partnership with agencies, the program team seeks to build back better referral processes through improved training, data-informed referrals, improved information navigation and improved quality assurance measures. 

We are projecting for 2020/21, the number of Emergency Hampers distributed to be between 61,091 (min) and 74,667 (max).

We are projecting for 2020/21, the number of referrals to agencies to be between 5,696 (min) and 6,962 (max).

We are projecting for 2020/21 the money saved to be between $22,451, 532 million (min) and $27,440,762 million (max).

We are projecting for 2020/21 the clients helped by agencies to be between 26,008 (min) and 31,788 (max).

SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES Relieving food insecurity and providing support for clients who are experiencing emergency situations. Alleviate the stress of wondering where the next meal is coming from.

LONG-TERM OUTCOMES Creating a hunger-free community.

2019/20

AGE BREAKDOWN

2018/19

AGE BREAKDOWN

LEARNINGS

• As a response to client feedback, and to better support clients who were in quarantine, shielding, or did not feel safe travelling to the Food Bank, we introduced a new mode of hamper distribution: Third-party Pick-ups. Clients are now able to have a family member, friend, or other group pick-up a hamper on their behalf with the scan of a unique QR code.
• We are dependent on volunteers to power the Emergency Food Hamper Program. During December 2020 and January 2021, Health and Safety restricted physical space within the call centre, coupled with extra-ordinary volunteer cancellations meant that clients calling the call centre were met with higher-than-average wait times (9.5 minutes as opposed to 4.4 minutes) and ultimately increased proportion of abandoned calls (23% as opposed to 20%) were observed. Immediate adaptations were made in response to these challenges: increasing staff capacity to field calls and creating a basic online referral form that clients could independently complete to reduce the length of calls to the call centre. While the short-term solutions were effective to reduce negative impacts; a key learning taken was that to ensure effective programs robust processes, technology and training must be in place. Since, call centre training has been moved into an online format to ensure both best practice training and to reduce the burden on staff so that they are available to support volunteers and field calls.

PROGRAM DISCUSSION

The Hampers for the Homeless Program provides ready to eat, shelf stable food* for the short-term relief of hunger to people living rough (homeless, at risk of becoming homeless, or otherwise impoverished populations). [*requiring minimal/no preparation or refrigeration]

The first goal of the program is to provide short-term hunger relief to clients and the ability to connect clients with agencies that can help with the underlying root cause of their food insecurity. The second goal is for agencies to use the food as a way to connect with clients experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. In addition, the program helps agencies free up time and resources spent on food acquisition that can be used towards programming for clients.

CAUSES Homelessness is understood by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness as the situation of an individual or household without stable, safe, permanent, appropriate housing, or the immediate prospect, means and ability of acquiring it. [1]

EFFECTS The need for this program remains crucial as the homeless population is disproportionately effected by food insecurity and lack of food [2].

WHO IS AFFECTED Agencies that support and distribute to a population experiencing homelessness and the population experiencing homelessness.

Unlike the Emergency Food Hamper Program, with the Hampers for the Homeless Program we do not directly connect with the food insecure population receiving the hampers. We work with agencies that are based in Calgary and who are working with individuals that are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. We rely on reporting by the agencies accessing the program to evaluate the impact. According to the reporting by the agencies, the largest segment of the target population that received hampers are categorized as un-sheltered or absolutely homeless and living on the streets or in places not intended for human habitation.

OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES

The Hampers for the Homeless Program addresses food insecurity by providing the short-term relief of hunger to those living rough. The root causes of long-term hunger are also addressed as clients are given hampers by organizations which provide support for individuals experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. The food acts as a connector and allows agencies to work with individuals to transition them out of poverty. This program reduces poverty by relieving some financial and mental strain on those living rough, and allowing individuals to use the funds and resources to move into a stable shelter situation. We collaborate with 12 non-profit agencies that are working with the homeless population.

GOALS The goals for the program are to be within 10%, plus or minus in the coming fiscal year.

The goal number of hampers distributed in 2019/20 was exceeded because of the introduction of the bulk food option, which allowed partner organizations to receive bulk food instead of pre-made hampers to better serve the needs of their clients during the COVID-19 pandemic where agencies required additional food to support their clients. The Hampers for the Homeless Program successfully met this demand increasing the distribution of hamper content by 12.4% compared to the previous year seeing 24,579 hampers distributed in 2019/20 compared to 21,531 the previous year. Much of this increase came in the final fiscal quarter (June to August 2020) when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Through this distribution, the program potentially saved $737,370 for its partner organizations. Our goal for 2019/20 in this area was also exceeded because of the increased need for the program.

We are projecting for 2020/21, the number of Hampers for the Homeless distributed to be between 22,121 (min) and 27,037 (max). We are projecting for 2020/21 the money saved to be between $663,633 (min) and $811,107 (max).

SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES Supplying nutrition to those living rough and may not have another source of food.

LONG-TERM OUTCOMES Creating a hunger-free community.

2019/2020

2018/2019

LEARNINGS

Despite ongoing efforts to ensure the content provided through the Hampers for the Homeless Program meets the needs of its clients, the Calgary Food Bank has never received 100% satisfaction in this content across all agencies that access it. This comes with various suggestions for improvement which have been a tremendous assistance in understanding the needs of the population this program serves.

Further methods of gaining evaluation have been utilized. Calgary Homeless Foundation’s Client Action Committee was consulted on November 7, 2019 to gain the perspective of those with lived experience of homelessness. This consultation provided key insights which have since been integrated into the program in various ways. This included a move to include fresh fruit among the content items which is now a well-received item.

PROGRAM DISCUSSION

The Food Link Program provides food and supplies to qualified agencies, free of charge, to better support their programming. Giving food and supplies allows us to increase the effectiveness of agencies by permitting the reallocation of funds to programming for those in need. Unlike the Emergency Hamper Program, we do not directly connect with the food insecure population. We rely on reporting by the agencies using the program to evaluate the impact.

CAUSES Food insecurity in Canada is prominent, with Alberta’s rate at 11.40% and Calgary at 11% [1].

EFFECTS There are a number of negative outcomes related to food insecurity, including poor physical and mental health, and increased risk of chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, heart issues, etc.), which creates a drain on the Canadian health care system.

WHO IS AFFECTED Agencies that are qualified to access the Food Link Program. The beneficiaries of this program include social service organizations that provide a range of services for children, youth, families, immigrants, refugees, the elderly, the disabled, the homeless, the poor, and others. See the list of our Food Link agencies.

OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES

Bulk food and supplies are provided to partner agencies. The output is determined on assumptions such as all goods taken out of Food Link are weighed. Food that is typically picked-up from Food Link is 60% non-perishable and 40% perishable. On average 207,800 pounds of bulk food was accessed every month (excluding December).

Agencies use the Food Link Program to not only supplement their food supply but also to redirect their budget. Agencies were asked about the ways they used the money saved by accessing the program. According to their feedback, agencies diverted their funds in a variety of ways, including investing in programming, food purchases, and purchasing supplies. Most agencies (33%) redirected funds to the improvement of their programming. The examples of improved programming include an increased invested in staff training, offering more programs or extend the scope of their programming. A number of agencies are able to extend their food budget or purchase supplies with the funds saved. There is a portion of the agencies (16%) that do not have a food budget and relied completely on Food Link for their food supply. For this segment, no money was saved to be redirected to other services.

GOALS The goals for the program are to be within 10%, plus or minus in the coming fiscal year. We are projecting for 2020/21, the pounds of food and supplies distributed through Food Link to be between 1,453,486 (min) and 1,776,482 (max). We are projecting for 2020/21 the money saved to be between $3,779,063 (min) and $4,618,854 (max).

With the onset of COVID-19 we were required to deny access to all external visitors which greatly impacted how the Food Link Program operated. Implementation of partners qualification criteria and COVID-19 restrictions resulted in the number of agency programs supported through Food Link being reduced from 215 to 37.  As a result of this our goal for 2019/20 was not met.

SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES Supporting organizations by absorbing or diverting agencies’ food and supplies cost, allowing agencies to focus on meeting the needs of the community instead of sourcing food. Money saved can be relocated to sustain existing programs or launch new programs. Re-distributing excessive amounts of certain items to other agencies which results in reduced food waste.

LONG-TERM OUTCOMES Creating a hunger-free community.

FOOD SHARED

Below is a list of the food categories that are distributed.

• Vegetable and fruit: 23.26%
• Dairy: 21.62%
• Canned and prepared food: 21.46%
• Grains (bread and cereal): 7.09%
• Proteins (meat and eggs): 6.67%
• Drinks (coffee, tea, pop, water): 6.41%
• Baking and condiments: 6.40%
• Snacks: 5.88%
• Specialty (celiac, baby): 0.87%

2019/20

2018/2019

LEARNINGS

We have participated in numerous program evaluation activities that have led to a number of learnings.

• We need to determine the definition of this program and its target population.
• Reviewing the program’s Performance Measurement Strategy highlighted the need to determining eligibility criteria for agencies.
• Reviewing the program’s Performance Measurement Strategy highlighted the importance of agency reporting to evaluate the Food Link program. Low response rates from agencies about their use of the program was determined as a key area of improvement. It was recommended that we streamline communication about the importance of reporting and reporting procedures. As a result of this communication, the agencies will understand their role to be actively responsible to provide  reporting on their use of items received from Food Link.

The following changes were implemented based on these learnings.

• A definition for the Food Link program and target population was determined. This maintains consistent in messaging internally and externally and keeps the programs aligned with the our mission.
• We determined the eligibility criteria for Food Link agencies.
• We created and shared a document outlining the importance of reporting, the reporting schedule, steps on how to sign-up to receive the reporting invitation and the consequences of a reporting lapse.
• Due to new procedures being implemented, agency reporting compliance is approaching 100% by the end of 2020.

PROGRAM DISCUSSION

We can ensure that, instead of wasting donations because of the inability to distribute the high volume of product, the entirety of a donor’s contribution will support food insecure individuals and families. The National and Regional Food Share Programs’ objective is to ensure food banks, outside the city of Calgary, receive enough support to meet the nutritional needs of their clients. The Regional Food Share Program distributes from the Calgary Food Bank to Southern Albertan food banks and the National Food Share Program moves food across Canada.

CAUSES As per the most recent available statistics, food insecurity in Canada is now higher than any prior national estimate [1]. There were 4.4 million people living in food-insecure households in 2017-18. Rural food banks in Canada, due to their often remote locations, have higher food transportation costs and fewer donations.

EFFECTS It is challenging for the food banks to maintain adequate food supply for their clients.

WHO IS AFFECTED Food banks in need of support to provide for their food insecure clients.

[1] Tarasuk V, Mitchell A. (2020) Household food insecurity in Canada, 2017-18. Toronto: Research to identify policy options to reduce food insecurity (PROOF). Retrieved from https://proof.utoronto.ca/

OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES

The National and Regional Food Share Programs work to distribute perishable and non-perishable products to food banks in need of food supplies across Canada. This allows food banks to maintain food supply for their clients while food waste is reduced.

GOALS The goals for the program are to be within 10%, plus or minus in the coming fiscal year. We are projecting for 2020/21, the pounds of food distributed through Food Share to be between 2,125,641 (min) and 2,598,005 (max). We are projecting for 2020/21 the value of the food distributed to be between $5,526,666 (min) and $6,754,814 (max). Our goal for 2019/20 was exceeded because there was an increased demand for this program.

SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES By collaborating with other food banks and charities, we ensure that emergency food and supplies are delivered where they are needed most, reaching more food insecure clients. By re-distributing excessive amounts of certain items to other agencies results in reduced food waste.

2019/2020

2018/2019

LEARNINGS

We have participated in numerous program evaluation activities that have led to several learnings. 

• We need to determine the definition of this program and its target population.
• Reviewing the program’s Performance Measurement Strategy highlighted the importance of beneficiary food banks’ feedback to evaluate the Food Share Program.

The following changes are required based on these learnings. 

• A definition for the Food Share Program and target population needs to be determined. This will maintain consistent messaging internally and externally and keeps the program aligned with the Calgary Food Bank’s mission.
• Operational changes are required to collect feedback from beneficiary Food Banks.