HOST A FOOD DRIVE

Food drives can be as big and extensive or small and simple as you would like!

• You could run a promotion in your business - for example, $5 off a purchase of $50 or more with a donation to the Food Bank during the month of June.

• Set up a box in a foyer or reception area labeled with “Food Bank Donations” and let staff, visitors, customers and clients make donations.

• Host a virtual event! We have the tools through Canada Helps to support you.

• Host a car wash, movie night, or flea market that is free with a donation to the Food Bank.

• Organize a sports team or youth group drive to ask for donations from neighbours, family & friends.

• Blanket a section of the city with an extensive food drive campaign.

• Check out our Tip-Tap machine to make monetary donations easy! See the bottom of this page for information.

FOOD RECOVERY

Approximately 58% of food produced in Canada is lost or wasted each year.

63% of the food Canadians throw away could be eaten but was not, either because we buy too much, cook too much, or do not store our food properly. This adds up to 140 kg of food in the average household per year, to the tune of $1,300!

Especially now, with threats of food shortages looming, we must do what we can to reduce that loss. Our Food Recovery system works from source to re-source.

GROCERY STORES

We divert perishable and non-perishable products from the land fill by selecting products that are close to the best before date, are imperfect in appearance, past a grocery “sell by” date, are a seasonal product, or a result of an order mistake.

With 15,000 different products in the average grocery store, donating flats of food to the food bank alleviates the stores' disposal of all this food in landfills. The food is still good and suitable for consumption, however simply not suitable for re-sale.

These donations from the supermarkets begin the cycle of keeping as much food out of the landfill as possible, in that the food can be used and not wasted.

SORTING AND GLEANING

Once the food is received at the Food Bank, our volunteers will sort donations according to product type. Hamper items are put in bins and taken to the Hamper assembly area. Products that are ‘supplements’ to the Hampers are taken to the warehouse and Hamper Distribution room for volunteers and staff to distribute to clients as needed. Pantry items are also sorted by type of product and stored in the warehouse to be placed on the shelves as needed.

Our produce gleaners will go through fresh products, and remove fruits and vegetables from the bins that are not suitable for human consumption (beginning to spoil, badly bruised, or wilted). These products are placed into a bin designated for farm animal use.

LOCAL PRODUCERS

We not only have local producers who will make donations of produce like potatoes or inspected meat, we will also work with livestock producers who will take away food items we’ve gleaned that cannot be used at the Food Bank.

Spilled or damaged food items, stale bread and buns, spoiled produce and other food items that do not meet Alberta Health standards are collected by local farmers to use as feed for livestock.

Thus, the cycle of food - from source to re-sourcing - begins again.