OUR STORY

Food Security for the future of our community

Many think that the food donated to the food bank only goes into food hampers. It is true the Red Deer Food Bank, with your help, assisted over 27,000 people in 2023. Approximately 40% of them were children. 

With that said, only about half of the food donated to the food bank is what is considered ‘sustenance’ product – the makings for a meal. Items like pop, candy and chocolate, popcorn are all ‘nice-to-have’ treats, but they don’t make for healthy nutritional meals. In addition to our ‘wish list’ items, we appreciate donations of snack bars and fruit cups as they help fill kids’ lunch boxes for school; protein drinks for seniors; baby food and formula are also needed as well. 

We have secured fresh produce to supplement that which is donated from local grocers and producers, with the addition of our geodesic dome greenhouse, hydroponic sea cans, and indoor greenhouse. All these food production facilities have come online in the final quarter of 2024 and will be able to provide our clients with lettuce, spinach, radishes, and tomatoes. Through the summer we collaborated with the City and ReThink Red Deer by planting, maintaining and harvesting a Community Garden.

With that being said, the food bank also provides food to other agencies right here in Red Deer. Agencies such as the Boy's and Girl's Club, The Mustard Seed, Potter's Hands, Women's Outreach, soup kitchens, homeless shelters and kids camps.

The Red Deer Food Bank also supplies food to other food banks in Central Alberta such as: Blackfalds, Coronation, Caroline, Delburne, Ermineskin, Maskwacis, Innisfail, Lacombe, Mirror, Olds, Ponoka, Rocky Mountain House, Rimbey, Sylvan Lake, Stettler, Three Hills and Trochu. The Red Deer Food Bank covers an area of 20,000 square kilometres in Central Alberta.

The bread, produce and pastries that our driver/gleaner picks up each day from grocery stores are available daily. People in need can access the product Monday through Friday in our Client Service Area.

The access to these products helps supplement our clients' grocery expenses. Coming in for bread and potatoes can save them extra funds for fresh milk and other food items they may need for their family.

Without the generosity of our community the Red Deer Food Bank Society would not exist. Many factors play a part but it is the generosity of people that is the heart of our organization.