Charity Intelligence

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 size. Besides regular hampers, we also provide five speciality hampers based on age and dietary restrictions (Baby Hampers, Birthday Party Kits, Celiac Hampers, Prenatal Hampers, and Renal Hampers). Hamper content is determined based on Canada’s Food Guide recommendations and food categories included in it are fruits and vegetables, protein, whole grains, and others. We strive to provide nutritious hampers.  

CAUSES Food insecurity in Canada is directly related with financial constraints. Increasing cost of living and food prices in Canada is escalating the financial pressure on individuals and households and pushing them into food insecure situations. HungerCount 2022 data [1] demonstrated that the number of people visiting food banks in Alberta increased by 73% since 2019, explaining the highest prevalence of food insecurity in the province.  

EFFECTS There are several 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 burden 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] HungerCount2022, From a Storm to a Hurricane, FoodBanks Canada  

OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES

Emergency Food Hampers program provides food to low-income and food insecure Calgarians. Along with a hamper containing one week’s worth of food, clients are also provided with the option to participate in a survey to determine referrals to outside organizations based on their situation and needs. We connect clients with community resources that can address the underlying causes of food insecurity. While 29% of EFH clients were referred to Calgary Food Bank by partner organizations only 4% of clients were referred out to the network of partner organizations. 

GOALS The goals for the program are to be within plus or minus 10%, in the coming fiscal year. The goal of number of hampers distributed in 2021/22 exceeded this target due to increased demand in our community. Goals for money saved and clients helped by agencies were exceeded. Our goal for referring to agencies was not met, however it increased significantly since last year with our new and client focused referral out process and it is expected to continue to increase as it becomes more convenient for the clients to access.

As COVID-19 pandemic reached its one-year mark early 2021, the EFH program continued to provide unlimited hampers to clients every 10 days. As the demand for EFH hampers has increased, we continued to modify our operations and increased the daily capacity up to 500 hampers/day. The purpose was to provide emergency assistance to all those affected by food crisis. In this fiscal year, the Calgary Food Bank distributed the largest number of hampers to the largest volume of clients in its history. Large hamper demands were in tandem with long wait times for clients to receive hampers.  However, exceptions were accepted by staff and volunteers for those clients with emergency food need during the long waiting period. Additionally, the changes that had been introduced in response to COVID-19 related to the hamper distribution methods, we continued to follow the same outdoor drive-thru distribution model, followed by improved online booking platforms for clients’ convenience. In the last quarter, main location was being renovated and so all the distribution shifted to occur off the dock. Many roadblocks were identified during the transition process, but they were handled seamlessly by staff and volunteers. These adaptations have been successful in accommodating more clients’ requests.  

To address the root causes of hunger and food insecurity, before COVID-19 pandemic, the Calgary Food Bank volunteers used to provide agency referral outs by going through a resource binder and selecting a relevant organization for the client. This was not a well-structured process. During COVID-19 pandemic, the referrals were not given out actively due to some agency closures. Hence, after one year of COVID-19 pandemic, Research and Client Services (R&CS) began to explore re-introducing agency referrals. The purpose was to have a structured process of providing community resources to clients based on their situation. Through closer partnership with agencies, the department was able to build back a better referral processes through improved training, data-informed referrals, improved information navigation and improved quality assurance measures. The new referral-out project was initiated on 4th April 2021 and a total of 2475 clients were referred-out in the fiscal year 2021-2022.  

We are projecting for 2023/24, the number of Emergency Hampers distributed to be between 117,615 and 174,239. 

We are projecting for 2023/24, the number of referrals to agencies to be between 5,500 and 7,400. 

We are projecting for 2023/24 the money saved to be between $31,000,000 million and $36,000,000 million. 

We are projecting for 2023/24 the clients helped by agencies to be between 27,000 and 30,000. 

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

LONG-TERM OUTCOMES Creating a hunger-free community.

2021/22

AGE BREAKDOWN

2020/21

AGE BREAKDOWN

LEARNINGS

• As a response to client feedback, and to better support clients, we continued distributing hampers with the drive-thru distribution model.  
• Modifications to daily capacity were made throughout the year based on observed increases in demand. 

PROGRAM DISCUSSION

The Mobile Hamper Program provides ready-to-eat, shelf stable food* for the short-term relief of hunger to people experiencing homelessness, at risk of experiencing homelessness, or otherwise impoverished populations. [*requiring minimal/no preparation or refrigeration] 

The primary goal of Mobile Hamper program is to provide short-term hunger relief to clients and create a connection between clients and partner organizations that can help with the underlying cause of their food insecurity. This program also helps agencies free up time and resources spent on food acquisition that can be used towards programming to address clients’ root causes of food/housing insecurity. 

CAUSES Homelessness is described 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 affected by food insecurity and lack of food [2].

WHO IS AFFECTED The population experiencing homelessness and partner organizations that support and distribute to a population experiencing homelessness. 

Since the Mobile Hamper Program does not directly connect with the target population, 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. 

[1] Barr, C., Friesen, A., Hill, C., Kovacs-Burns, K., Pauly, B., Turner, A., & Marsolais, A. (2012). Canadian Definition of Homelessness. Toronto: Canadian Observatory on Homelessness Press. 
[2] Parpouchi, M., Moniruzzaman, A., Russolillo, A., & Somers, J. M. (2016). Food insecurity among homeless adults and mental illness. PLoS ONE, 11, e0159334. 

OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES

The Mobile Hamper Program addresses food insecurity by providing short-term relief of hunger to those experiencing homelessness. 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. Food acts as a connector and allows partner organizations to work with individuals to transition them out of homelessness. This program reduces poverty by relieving some financial and mental strain on those experiencing homelessness and allowing individuals to use the funds and resources to move into a stable shelter situation. We collaborate with 11 partner organizations that are working with the population experiencing homelessness. 

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

The amount of food distributed in 2021/22 was within the target. The measurement of the food distributed was changed from number of hampers to pounds of food halfway through the Fiscal Year. While this was a necessary change to improve accuracy, it made the comparison to previous years challenging. In the 2021/22 Fiscal Year 208,000 lbs of food was distributed to partner agencies. Through this distribution, the program potentially saved $610,702 for its partner organizations. 

FUTURE PROJECTIONS For 2022/23 Fiscal Year, we are projecting Mobile Hamper program to distribute between 212,000 lbs and 228,800 lbs of food.  We are projecting for 2022/23 the money saved to be between $615,800 and $682,675. 

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

LONG-TERM OUTCOMES Creating a hunger-free community.

2021/22

2020/21

LEARNINGS

• Fresh fruits, soft to eat food, and hygiene items are highly valued by the target population and the partner organizations. We continue to provide a selection of these items as well as other desired options based on feedback from the partner organizations.  

• Switching to bulk food allowed us to be more flexible to meet the preferences of different organizations based on their clients’ needs. The majority of our partner organizations now pick up bulk orders rather than pre-packed hampers.  
• The program name was changed from formerly Hampers for the Homeless to Mobile Hampers in 2022. 

PROGRAM DISCUSSION

The Food Link program is a Calgary Food Bank program that provides food and supplies to qualified organizations so they can focus their resources on important program delivery dealing with root causes of food insecurity. 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 Household food insecurity in Canada is a growing concern and Alberta has the highest prevalence where 20.3% of households are food insecure and 6.3% is severely food insecure.

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.

[1] Tarasuk V, Li T, Fafard St-Germain AA. (2022) Household food insecurity in Canada, 2021. Toronto: Research to identify policy options to reduce food insecurity (PROOF). Retrieved from https://proof.utoronto.ca/ 

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 70% non-perishable and 30% perishable. 1,120,476 pounds of bulk food was distributed to partner agencies in the Fiscal Year 2021/22. 

Agencies use the Food Link Program to supplement their food supply and 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 (57%) redirected funds to food purchasing and they were able to extend their food budget or purchase supplies with the funds saved. Some agencies (18%) used the funds to improve programming. The examples of improved programming include an increased invested in staff training, offering more programs or extend the scope of their programming. 

GOALS

The goals for the program are to be within 10%, plus or minus in the coming fiscal year. We are projecting for 2022/23, the pounds of food and supplies distributed through Food Link to be between 1,008,428 and 1,232,524. We are projecting for 2022/23 the money saved to be between $2,621,913  and $3,204,561. 

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 in 2020. In 2021/22 Fiscal Year, the number of Food Link partner organizations was up to 48. We are expecting for 2022/23 the number of Food Link partner organizations to be between 75 and 85. 

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.

2021/2022

2020/21

LEARNINGS

• Clearly defined eligibility criteria for onboarding Food Link partner organizations helped us reduce service duplications.  

• Agency reporting was made mandatory to ensure a consistent flow of information for program evaluation.  
• The demand for the Food Link program remains to be significant and is expected to increase.  The Food Link team is receiving requests to re-enter the program from former Food Link partner organizations also connecting with completely new organizations through Community Liaison.  

PROGRAM DISCUSSION

The Food Share program aims to achieve the CFB’s vision of a hunger-free community through the redistribution of food and supplies to food banks that further provide it to food insecure populations. Through the Food Share program, the Calgary Food Bank extends its reach beyond the community of Calgary, supporting its neighboring communities and provinces to move towards food security. Food Share partner organizations are primarily located in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, however, the furthest distance the Food Share program has reached is Toronto, Ontario. 

CAUSES Household food insecurity is a growing concern in Canada where 15.9% of the households in ten provinces experienced some level of food insecurity [1].  Rural food banks in Canada, due to their 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, Li T, Fafard St-Germain AA. (2022) Household food insecurity in Canada, 2021. 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. Food Share program distributed 1,852,582 lbs of food to 32 food banks in Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario in Fiscal Year 2021/22. 95% of food distributed through Food Share program is non-perishable and 5% is perishable.  

The Food Share Program typically distributes 450,000 pounds of food per quarter. However as od December 2022, the program was put on hold due to a supply shortage. Q1 and Q2 orders were delivered at an average of 443,000 lbs. Q3 and Q4 numbers are expected to be lower than a regular quarter. 

GOALS The goals for the program are to be within 10%, plus or minus in the coming fiscal year. However due to the supply shortage and the modifications to the Food Share Program, we are projecting for 2022/23 to distribute between 900,000 lbs and 1,200,000 lbs of food through the Foos Share 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 clients experiencing food insecurity. By redistributing excessive amounts of certain items to other agencies we are also reducing food waste.

2021/2022

2020/21

LEARNINGS

We have participated in numerous program evaluation activities, leading 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.