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Food insecurity is a serious health problem in Canada. It is associated with poorer health, psychological, social, and emotional outcomes. In Alberta, one in ten individuals experience food insecurity, with 17% children living in food insecure households. The existence of food banks is becoming more important as the need for these facilities by families increases. The Calgary Food Bank constantly collecting feedback from our clients, partner agencies, donors, and volunteers. By asking questions and analyzing the responses, we commit to continuous improvement. For a more comprehensive look at our financial overview, please refer to our audited financials.
ABOUT US
The Calgary Food Bank is the city’s main charitable food hub and the first line of support for anyone facing a food emergency. Addressing the food is our first step in triaging their emergency, then we make critical connections for them with our community partners and their programs. Our relationships in the community and food support to hundreds of other agencies means we can work collaboratively towards solving the problem of food insecurity in Calgary.
Volunteer & Staff
123,137 HOURS OF VOLUNTEERING
- Staff 52%
- Volunteers 48%
Fund Contribution Sources
- Personal (45%) 45%
- Foundations (20%) 20%
- Communities (18%) 18%
- Corporations (17%) 17%
ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES
$41,432,743 SPENT ON PROGRAMMING
- Emergency Food Hampers 75% ($31.2M) 75%
- Food Share 11.97% ($4.8M) 11.97%
- Food Link 8.76% ($3.6M) 8.76%
- Hampers for the Homeless 2.46% ($1M) 2.46%
- Weekends and More 1.04% ($431,355) 1.04%
- Welcome Home .71% ($180,722) .71%
- Purchasing Power .28% ($117,986) .28%
Emergency Food Hampers
PROGRAM DISCUSSION
The Emergency Food Hamper Program aims to achieve the Calgary Food Bank’s vision of a hunger-free community and attempts to address hunger and food insecurity as the program provides food and community supports to qualified clients.
An Emergency Food Hamper is a collection of food items providing 7 to ten days’ worth of food to clients based on the household’s size. We strives to meet Canada’s Food Guide recommendations when determining hamper content. There are five specialty hampers distributed through the Emergency Food Hamper Program; baby hampers, birthday party kits, Celiac hampers, prenatal hampers, and renal hampers.
CAUSES Food insecurity in Canada continues to be prominent. As per data collected between 2017 and 2019, in the Calgary region 7.9% households are either moderately or severely food insecure [1]. This insecurity is currently being affected by Calgary’s unemployment rate, reaching 7% in June of 2019 [2]. Low household income, which can be created by unemployment, is the leading cause of food insecurity [3].
EFFECTS There are a number of negative outcomes related to food insecurity, including poor physical and mental health, and increased risk of chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, heart issues, etc.), which creates a drain on the Canadian health care system.
WHO IS AFFECTED The Emergency Food Hamper Program is designed for individuals or households that cannot access food due to financial constraints.
[1] Statistics Canada, “Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2017-2019 pooled data,” 2020.
[2] Statistics Canada, “Labour force characteristics by census metropolitan area,” July 2019. [Online]. Available: http://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1410029402. [Accessed 24 July 2019].
[3] Food Banks Canada, “HungerCount 2018,” Food Banks Canada, Mississauga, 2019.
- Clients who indicated feeling tense or stressed out at least once or twice daily. 60%
OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES
Emergency Food Hampers provide clients in temporary emergency situations with one week’s worth of food and referrals to outside organizations. Food is provided to low-income and food insecure Calgarians. We connect clients with community resources that can address the underlying issues of food insecurity. 25% of clients are referred to other community agencies.
GOALS The goals for the program are to be within 10%, plus or minus in the coming fiscal year. Our goals in 2019/20 for hampers distributed was met, goals for money saved and clients helped by agencies was exceeded. Our goal for referring to agencies was not met, and this can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic where some of agency partners were closed.
We are projecting for 2020/21, the number of Emergency Hampers distributed to be between 61,091 (min) and 74,667 (max).
We are projecting for 2020/21, the number of referrals to agencies to be between 5,696 (min) and 6,962 (max).
We are projecting for 2020/21 the money saved to be between $22,451, 532 million (min) and $27,440,762 million (max).
We are projecting for 2020/21 the clients helped by agencies to be between 26,008 (min) and 31,788 (max).
SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES Relieving food insecurity and providing support for clients who are experiencing emergency situations. Alleviate the stress of wondering where the next meal is coming from.
LONG-TERM OUTCOMES Creating a hunger-free community.
Descriptions and definitions
UNIQUE CLIENTS
This is calculated by counting all members of the household only once, irrespective of their number of visits to the program.
REFERRALS TO AGENCIES
A referral out is where a client, calling into the Calgary Food Bank, is provided with information about community supports that can help address their underlying root cause of food insecurity. Clients may receive a referral at anytime they call our call centre, they do not necessarily have to book an hamper in order to receive a referral to an agency.
CLIENTS HELPED BY AGENCIES
A critical part of the Emergency Food Hamper program’s theory is that the clients build connections and receive referrals to available community services for their needs.
MONEY SAVED
Clients are asked how they use the money saved by accessing the Emergency Food Hamper program. Based on the responses, a majority of clients use the money to pay their bills. The second most common response is spending money on rent and additional food. They also use this money for expenditures related to their children, health care, and transportation. Despite this, there is a large section of clients that do not have any spare money to spend on any other expenses. They come to the food bank in situations where they have absolutely no money and need food. This reinforces the theory that the population that accesses food banks are the extremely food insecure segment of the population. These clients use their funds on their fundamental physiological needs such as shelter.
During the period of 2019/20, 9% of the unique clients of the program resulted from a referral from one of the 344 different resources, community agencies and their affiliated programs.
2019/20
Hampers provided | 67,879 |
Unique clients | 67,734 |
Unique clients under 18 | 24,668 |
Clients referred to agencies | 6,329 |
Clients helped by agencies* | 28,898 |
Agencies/programs receiving referrals from the Food Bank | 344 |
Agencies/programs sending referrals to the Food Bank | 392 |
Money saved** | $24,946,147 |
AGE BREAKDOWN
- Female Children 35%
- Female Adults 65%
- Male Children 38%
- Male Adults 62%
Female | Male | Agender | |
Under 36 Months | 2,323 (3%) | 2,316 (3%) | 1 |
Age 3-12 | 6,887 (10%) | 7,364 (11%) | 8 |
Age 13-17 | 2,790 (4%) | 2,975 (4%) | 4 |
Age 18-64 | 21,176 (31%) | 19,540 (29%) | 34 |
Age 65+ | 1,178 (2%) | 1,138 (2%) | 0 |
2018/19
Hampers provided | 69,249 |
Unique clients | 66,588 |
Unique clients under 18 | 23,994 |
Clients referred to agencies | 12,157 |
Clients helped by agencies* | 32,139 |
Agencies/programs receiving referrals from the Food Bank | 315 |
Agencies/programs sending referrals to the Food Bank | 429 |
Money saved** | $17,082,288 |
AGE BREAKDOWN
- Female Children 35%
- Female Adults 65%
- Male Children 38%
- Male Adults 62%
Female | Male | Agender | |
Under 36 Months | 1,835 (2.76%) |
1,929 (2.90%) |
6 |
Age 3-12 | 7,033 (10.56%) |
7,435 (11.17%) |
8 |
Age 13-17 | 2,804 (4.21%) |
2,940 (4.42%) |
4 |
Age 18-64 | 20,985 (31.51%) |
19,289 (28.97%) |
28 |
Age 65+ | 1,169 (1.76%) |
1,121 (1.68%) |
2 |
2017/18
Hampers provided | 66,204 |
Unique clients | 65,604 |
Unique clients under 18 | 24,608 |
Clients referred to agencies | 13,317 |
Clients helped by agencies* | 24,209 |
Agencies/programs receiving referrals from the Food Bank | 307 |
Agencies/programs sending referrals to the Food Bank | 411 |
Money saved** | $17,333,460 |
AGE BREAKDOWN
- Female Children 34%
- Female Adults 66%
- Male Children 37%
- Male Adults 63%
Female | Male | |
Under 36 Months | 1,723 (2.63 %) |
1,743 (2.66 %) |
Age 3-12 | 6,896 (10.51 %) |
7,336 (11.18%) |
Age 13-17 | 2,691 (4.10 %) |
2,996 (4.57 %) |
Age 18-64 | 20,872 (31.82%) |
19,220 (29.30%) |
Age 65+ | 1,073 (1.64%) |
1,052 (1.60%) |
LEARNINGS
We participate in numerous program evaluation activities that have led to a number of learnings:
- Our clients are available to provide more feedback about their experiences and we should consider adding data collection methods.
- Specific research on clients accessing the Emergency Food Hamper Program through satellite locations highlighted the need to improve access to this program through better understanding of the demand for satellite locations.
- Review of the program identified the need for a clear definition of the program and program’s target population.
- Review of the program’s Performance Measurement Strategy highlighted the need to research different root causes of hunger and determining eligibility criteria for agencies that can send referrals for their clients.
Based on the learning, the following changes were made.
- Multiple focus groups were conducted (in addition to surveys) to collect clients’ feedback on their experiences to gain in-depth understanding of their perspectives. These perspectives continue to inform our decision-making.
- A separate report was created on accessibility of the program that highlighted a number of variables that need to be considered to determine satellite locations. The report also highlighted the challenges that clients face while accessing the satellite locations and how they can be alleviated. This report led to a number of projects. The recommendations from this report also led to a set criteria that is used in determining the what is needed in a good satellite location for clients. This led to a project of Emergency Food Hampers audits. Audits are now periodically conducted to evaluate the hamper content, market value, and monitor any difference between the quality of hampers distributed through main vs. satellite location.
- After multiple internal reviews, a definition for the Emergency Food Hamper Program and its target population was determined. This maintains consistency in messaging internally and externally and keeps the program aligned with our mission.
- We are in the process of determining a criteria that can be used to strengthen partnerships with available community resources in the region that can help the program’s target population with the root cause(s) of their hunger and/or food insecurity.
“Thank you very, very much. I think about the people who donate and the people who organize and distribute the food, and I feel so grateful. You have removed a whole lot of stress from my life. I feel so secured and cared for when my cupboards and fridge are full, as they are today because I picked up my food hamper. Words are not enough, but that is what I’m offering the food bank through this survey. You all have made such a difference for me to carry on today. I continue to look for work knowing I have your support and that I have enough to eat.”
* Clients being helped by other agencies is the number of hampers referred to the Food Bank from other agencies.
**Money saved can be used to pay off debt, pay for rent, utilities, medical bills, childcare, etc. The money saved includes all emergency hampers and baby hampers. The estimated value of each hamper is as follows: Pink $333, Blue $356, Green $364, Purple $697, Orange $720 and Baby $65.
Hampers for the Homeless
PROGRAM DISCUSSION
The Hampers for the Homeless Program provides ready to eat, shelf stable food* for the short-term relief of hunger to people living rough (homeless, at risk of becoming homeless, or otherwise impoverished populations). [*requiring minimal/no preparation or refrigeration]
The first goal of the program is to provide short-term hunger relief to clients and the ability to connect clients with agencies that can help with the underlying root cause of their food insecurity. The second goal is for agencies to use the food as a way to connect with clients experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. In addition, the program helps agencies free up time and resources spent on food acquisition that can be used towards programming for clients.
CAUSES Homelessness is understood by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness as the situation of an individual or household without stable, safe, permanent, appropriate housing, or the immediate prospect, means and ability of acquiring it. [1]
EFFECTS The need for this program remains crucial as the homeless population is disproportionately effected by food insecurity and lack of food [2].
WHO IS AFFECTED Agencies that support and distribute to a population experiencing homelessness and the population experiencing homelessness.
Unlike the Emergency Food Hamper Program, with the Hampers for the Homeless Program we do not directly connect with the food insecure population receiving the hampers. We work with agencies that are based in Calgary and who are working with individuals that are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. We rely on reporting by the agencies accessing the program to evaluate the impact. According to the reporting by the agencies, the largest segment of the target population that received hampers are categorized as un-sheltered or absolutely homeless and living on the streets or in places not intended for human habitation.
[2] Parpouchi, M., Moniruzzaman, A., Russolillo, A., & Somers, J. M. (2016). Food insecurity among homeless adults and mental illness. PLoS ONE, 11, e0159334.
OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES
The Hampers for the Homeless Program addresses food insecurity by providing the short-term relief of hunger to those living rough. The root causes of long-term hunger are also addressed as clients are given hampers by organizations which provide support for individuals experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. The food acts as a connector and allows agencies to work with individuals to transition them out of poverty. This program reduces poverty by relieving some financial and mental strain on those living rough, and allowing individuals to use the funds and resources to move into a stable shelter situation. We collaborate with 12 non-profit agencies that are working with the homeless population.
GOALS The goals for the program are to be within 10%, plus or minus in the coming fiscal year.
We are projecting for 2020/21, the number of Hampers for the Homeless distributed to be between 22,121 (min) and 27,037 (max). The number of hampers distributed in 2019/20 was exceeded because of the introduction of the bulk food option, which allowed agencies to receive bulk food instead of pre-made hampers to better serve the needs of their clients and the COVID-19 pandemic where agencies needed additional food to support their clients.
We are projecting for 2020/21 the money saved to be between $663,633 (min) and $811,107 (max). Our goal for 2019/20 was exceeded because of the increase need for this program.
SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES Supplying nutrition to those living rough and may not have another source of food.
LONG-TERM OUTCOMES Creating a hunger-free community.
On a given night, 3,430 Calgarians experience homelessness.
– The Calgary Homeless Foundation
Aboriginal people are over-represented in the homeless population. They make 3% of the Calgary population but make 20% of its homeless population.
What's in a Hamper?
Hampers contain ready to eat, shelf stable food for the short-term relief of hunger to people living rough. They contain 1 to 2 days food, and a hamper typically contains the following content:
▪ Canned meat (2)
▪ Canned soup (2)
▪ Dry soup (2)
▪ Fruit/pudding (4)
▪ Juice/drinks (2)
▪ Oatmeal (6)
▪ Snacks (1)
▪ Bag of cutlery and napkins (1)
2019/2020
Number of agencies | 12 |
Number of bags distributed | 24,579 |
Money saved* | $737,370 |
2018/2019
Number of agencies | 13 |
Number of bags distributed | 21,531 |
Money saved* | $645,930 |
2017/2018
Number of agencies | 17 |
Number of bags distributed | 14,080 |
Money saved* | $450,560 |
* Dollar value of hamper savings, allowing agencies focus on their programming rather than outsourcing food.
LEARNINGS
Through the feedback received by the agencies accessing the Hampers for the Homeless Pprogram we learned that agencies were dismantling the bags to expand the impact of support by preparing smaller bags and to give their clients a choice of items they would like to consume.
Based on these learnings, a new stream of Hampers for the Homeless distribution was created where the agencies can indicate the items they require, based on their clients’ needs, and then pick-up the items in bulk. This new mode of distribution allows approved partner agencies to save time by not dismantling the assembled hampers to reassemble smaller bags for clients, this also saves food bank resources. In addition it allows the agencies to choose the items they require for their clients, this customization of hamper content based on needs reduces waste and is a better allocation of resources.
Food Link
PROGRAM DISCUSSION
The Food Link Program provides food and supplies to qualified agencies, free of charge, to better support their programming. Giving food and supplies allows us to increase the effectiveness of agencies by permitting the reallocation of funds to programming for those in need. Unlike the Emergency Hamper Program, we do not directly connect with the food insecure population. We rely on reporting by the agencies using the program to evaluate the impact.
CAUSES Food insecurity in Canada is prominent, with Alberta’s rate at 11.40% and Calgary at 11% [1].
EFFECTS There are a number of negative outcomes related to food insecurity, including poor physical and mental health, and increased risk of chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, heart issues, etc.), which creates a drain on the Canadian health care system.
WHO IS AFFECTED Agencies that are qualified to access the Food Link Program. The beneficiaries of this program include social service organizations that provide a range of services for children, youth, families, immigrants, refugees, the elderly, the disabled, the homeless, the poor, and others. See the list of our Food Link agencies.
OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES
Bulk food and supplies are provided to partner agencies. The output is determined on assumptions such as all goods taken out of Food Link are weighed. Food that is typically picked-up from Food Link is 60% non-perishable and 40% perishable. On average 207,800 pounds of bulk food was accessed every month (excluding December).
Agencies use the Food Link Program to not only supplement their food supply but also to redirect their budget. Agencies were asked about the ways they used the money saved by accessing the program. According to their feedback, agencies diverted their funds in a variety of ways, including investing in programming, food purchases, and purchasing supplies. Most agencies (33%) redirected funds to the improvement of their programming. The examples of improved programming include an increased invested in staff training, offering more programs or extend the scope of their programming. A number of agencies are able to extend their food budget or purchase supplies with the funds saved. There is a portion of the agencies (16%) that do not have a food budget and relied completely on Food Link for their food supply. For this segment, no money was saved to be redirected to other services.
GOALS The goals for the program are to be within 10%, plus or minus in the coming fiscal year. We are projecting for 2020/21, the pounds of food and supplies distributed through Food Link to be between 1,453,486 (min) and 1,776,482 (max). We are projecting for 2020/21 the money saved to be between $3,779,063 (min) and $4,618,854 (max). Our goal for 2019/20 was not met because when the COVID-19 pandemic hit many agencies closed and some programs were not running.
SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES Supporting organizations by absorbing or diverting agencies’ food and supplies cost, allowing agencies to focus on meeting the needs of the community instead of sourcing food. Money saved can be relocated to sustain existing programs or launch new programs. Re-distributing excessive amounts of certain items to other agencies which results in reduced food waste.
LONG-TERM OUTCOMES Creating a hunger-free community.
FOOD SHARED
Below is a list of the food categories that are distributed.
- Vegetable and fruit: 23.26%
- Dairy: 21.62%
- Canned and prepared food: 21.46%
- Grains (bread and cereal): 7.09%
- Proteins (meat and eggs): 6.67%
- Drinks (coffee, tea, pop, water): 6.41%
- Baking and condiments: 6.40%
- Snacks: 5.88%
- Specialty (celiac, baby): 0.87%
Qualifications for Agencies
- Agencies are serving the food insecure population.
- Agencies must be registered as a charitable organization or fall under exemptions according to the CRA.
- A partnership with Food Link enhances the agencies’ ability to provide effective programming.
- They must not be duplicating services (hampers or pantries), or operating as a food bank.
- They must not charge fees for services.
- Their programming works with root causes of food insecurity.
- Agency programming provides capacity building for clients or community building.
- Demographics, scale of operations, or geography do not affect qualification.
“Saved money goes toward purchasing more food for the breakfast club.”
“Money saved by using Food Link is redistributed back into our programs, through improved services and development of new programs.”
2019/20
Number of programs* | 215 |
Pounds of food distributed** | 1,614,984 |
Money saved*** | $4,198,958 |
2018/2019
Number of programs* | 233 |
Pounds of food distributed** | 2,473,094 |
Money saved*** | $6,430,044 |
2017/2018
Number of programs* | 239 |
Pounds of food distributed** | 2,583,603 |
Money saved*** | $5,167,206 |
* Number of agencies and programs receiving food and supplies
** Amount of food and supplies accessed by the Food Link agencies
*** Dollar value of food distributed.
LEARNINGS
We have participated in numerous program evaluation activities that have led to a number of learnings.
- We need to determine the definition of this program and its target population.
- Reviewing the program’s Performance Measurement Strategy highlighted the need to determining eligibility criteria for agencies.
- Reviewing the program’s Performance Measurement Strategy highlighted the importance of agency reporting to evaluate the Food Link program. Low response rates from agencies about their use of the program was determined as a key area of improvement. It was recommended that we streamline communication about the importance of reporting and reporting procedures. As a result of this communication, the agencies will understand their role to be actively responsible to provide reporting on their use of items received from Food Link.
The following changes were implemented based on these learnings.
- A definition for the Food Link program and target population was determined. This maintains consistent in messaging internally and externally and keeps the programs aligned with the our mission.
- We determined the eligibility criteria for Food Link agencies.
- We created and shared a document outlining the importance of reporting, the reporting schedule, steps on how to sign-up to receive the reporting invitation and the consequences of a reporting lapse.