More than one in four households in Alberta suffer from food insecurity, a number that should be shocking in this resource-rich province. Food insecurity, of course, is running out of grocery money days before the next paycheck, or a parent skipping meals so that the kids get enough.
If you are a sharp-eyed reader of the Vicars blog, you will remember that we last used our Giving Clinics program to support food banks in Edmonton and Calgary only six months ago, in June 2024. Then, Food Banks Alberta was calling the steep rise in food bank customers a state of emergency. The need has only grown since then. Food banks have seen the crisis continue into 2024 because of inflation, higher interest rates affecting mortgages, rental and retail food price increases, all of which translates into less purchasing power for individuals and families.
Diminishing social assistance resources in Alberta is also a big factor, and those affected are not just the unemployed. There has been a sharp increase in working people who are struggling to make ends meet. One-third of program recipients are children.
Meaghon Reid, executive director of Vibrant Communities Calgary, told CBC News in October that it is unsurprising that more working people are depending on food banks. Alberta recently tied with Saskatchewan for the lowest minimum wage in Canada at $15 an hour: Alberta’s minimum wage has stayed the same since 2018, she says, while prices for everything, including food have risen sharply.
Reid believes it’s becoming increasingly difficult for low-income individuals to afford to eat. “Food insecurity is a real signal of how people are doing income-wise in our city and our province,” she said.
“We’re witnessing an astronomical rise in food bank usage in the post-COVID years,” says Tamisan Bencz-Knight, Manager of Strategic Relationships & Partnerships at Edmonton’s Food Bank. In the year ending April 2024, their food hamper use increased by 35 percent. Edmonton’s Food Bank distributes food to more than 75,000 people annually and thousands more through 350 soup kitchens, shelters, schools, and community
organizations. Clients access food hampers over the phone (780-425-4190) or through the online form on Edmonton’s Food Bank’s website. The organization’s Beyond Food Program offers job readiness support, referrals, safety ticket acquisition, one-on-one supports, and much more. The Beyond Food Program is intended to address the root causes of food insecurity – poverty.
Despite the generosity of the community and the success of Edmonton’s Food Bank, the unprecedented volume of need is outpacing food supplies which often run low between major food drives. The organization relies on donations of both food and money to keep warehouses stocked. The Calgary Food Bank says more people are relying on its services than at any time in its history, with a significant spike in demand in the past year.
“We are feeding more people today at the Calgary Food Bank than we ever have before,” president and CEO Melissa From told CBC News on Monday.
In its last fiscal year, from Sept. 1, 2023, to Aug. 31, 2024, the agency logged almost 500,000 visits. That number is up by more than 100,000 compared to the year prior — a notable 28 per cent increase from 2023.
Food banks often post most-needed items on their websites, but money donations are always welcome. If there is cash on hand, they can buy what they need most, often in bulk to save money.
Vicars School of Massage Therapy will be donating the gross proceeds of one day of our student massage clinics at each campus to their closest food bank. For our monthly Giving Clinics, we choose what we predict to be the busiest days to maximize the donation we can make. This month, that is December 9.
While this fundraiser is directed to those serving Calgary and Edmonton, where Vicars has campuses, if you are reading this in Squamish, High Level, La Ronge, or anywhere else in Canada, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to your nearest food bank. You won’t have to look far, sadly: there are 113 within the Alberta Food Banks Association alone, and they could all use your help.
