Community Investors X - Calgary Food Bank

The tenth non-profit highlighted in the CIES Community Investors Series is the Calgary Food Bank. Established in 1982, the Calgary Food Bank is a charitable, non-profit organization dedicated to gathering and distributing quality emergency food to those in need.The majority of people they assist are working-poor Calgarians struggling to make ends meet. The Calgary Food Bank is not a government or United Way agency. They rely solely on the generous support of our community. And while the Calgary Food Bank may be one of the better known non-profits we have highlighted in our community investment series, you may not be aware of the sheer number of Calgarians they help each year, and thus how truly vital the organization is to the city. Some quick numbers can be seen below:

• 141,271 people accessed the Calgary Food Bank last year
• Children make up 41 per cent of our clients. The national average is 36 per cent
• 21 per cent of our clients are single-parent homes
• 37 per cent came to us for help only once in their lifetime
• Most of our clients come less than three times in their lifetime
• For every one staff, we have three volunteers
• In 2015, the Calgary Food Bank had over 35,410 volunteers who made up 105,951 volunteer hours
• For every dollar donated, we stretch it into $5 worth of food thanks to our connections to the food industry

And the need for the Food Bank is only growing. The Calgary Food Bank distributed food last month for 13,000 people, a jump of 24 per cent from the previous year. Demand is up at food banks in not only Calgary, but Edmonton and Fort McMurray as well, swollen by people who have recently lost their jobs or have become underemployed in these tough economic times. While this issue is something that will eventually come to pass, no one can be certain of when and this is no doubt why the Calgary Food Bank and your donations are so very important at this time. 

CIES extends its gratitude for the contribution the Calgary Food Bank makes to our city. For more information, along with volunteer, donation and possible career opportunities, please visit their website.

Calgary Food Bank Mini-Documentary from Calgary Food Bank on Vimeo.