food share

Rescuing Food

At the heart of the Calgary Food Bank’s operation is Food Rescue, the process of gleaning viable food and redirecting it to support communities locally, provincially, and even nationally. “Gleaning” is the act of rescuing food that is still consumable; this accounts for 91 percent of food donations received last year. Our 360 food industry partners may have food they cannot sell due to factors such as near-date perishable, over stock items, labeling errors, or bent packaging.

The Calgary Food Bank’s experience and expertise allow them to work within the food industry’s supply chain to ensure food is delivered to where it is needed most. Securing quality food donations ensures nutritious food for clients and partners working to reduce root causes. It also identifies true waste and related costs. The Calgary Food Bank and the food industry work together to find opportunities that will result in a hunger-free community with zero waste.

91%

of food donations come from more than

360 food industry partners

Food industry partners include grocery stores, farmers’ markets, wholesalers, manufacturers, vendors, transportation companies, processors, and farms.

illustration of Food Industry Businesses

Food Share

The Food Share Program is part of a national and regional network that distributes perishable and nonperishable food donations to food banks in Southern Alberta and across the country. The Calgary Food Bank has the capacity to handle massive amounts of food. Pallets of food donations are broken down into manageable case quantities for smaller food banks.

The Calgary Food Bank can also redirect large donations like trailers of General Mills cereal and granola bars to food banks in Edmonton, Ontario, and New Brunswick. The Food Share Program works in concert with Food Bank Canada’s National Food Sharing System and Food Bank Alberta’s network of food banks.

Numbers reflect our fiscal year, September 1, 2023 to June 20, 2024

Value of food distributed through the food share program ($)

Food Banks Received food

pounds of food distributed through The food share Program

“We are happy to take everything we are sent, from canned vegetables, fruit, meat, pasta, to peanut butter. I don’t think we’d be able to operate without this as it would be impossible to fill the need out here without your help.”

Gary Tether
Iyahrhe Nakoda Food Bank Society

Food Movement In A Crisis

We are part of a provincial and national network that works with relief organizations, food banks, food industry and transportation companies to provide food support in times of disaster.

How do we do this? Calgary is a delivery hub for the food industry supply chain. We worked for over 35 years to become a link in that chain. Our capacity to accept and distribute large volumes of food allows us to redistribute to other organizations as part of the Regional and National Food Share program. This capacity provides flexibility to mobilize and direct food when and where it’s needed in times of crisis such as the 2013 Alberta floods, the 2016 Fort McMurray and 2017 and 2018 B.C. wildfires.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an organization that is not a Food Bank be a part of this program?

No, the Food Share Program is specifically designed for food banks.

What food and supplies do other food banks have access to?

Since we rely on donated food and supplies, the inventory we can provide to other food banks varies in both availability and quantity.

Do you pay for the transport of food to other food banks?

No, other food banks are responsible for the cost of shipping the food or supplies from the Calgary Food Bank.

Questions?

Contact Dustin Roberts by email or call at 403-253-2059 ext. 294 for more information.