What we do

Food Rescue and Share

Food rescue is the process of gleaning viable food so that it is not going to waste. Instead it’s redirected to support local communities.

Food Rescue and Movement

A hunger-free community

At the heart of our operation is Food Rescue, the process of gleaning viable food and redirecting it to support communities locally, provincially and even nationally. What we call gleaning is the act of rescuing food that is still consumable; this accounts for 74 per cent of the 13.5 million pounds of food donations received last year. Our 352 food industry partners may have food they cannot sell due to factors such as near date perishable, over stock items, labelling errors, or bent packaging.

Our experience and expertise allow us to work within the food industry’s supply chain to ensure food is delivered to where it is needed most. Securing quality food donations ensures nutritious food for clients and partner agencies working to reduce the root causes of poverty. It also identifies true waste and related costs. The Calgary Food Bank and food industry work together to find opportunities that will result in a hunger-free community with zero waste.

74%

of food donations
come from more than

illustration of Food Industry Businesses

Did You know?

Fast Facts

Numbers reflect our fiscal year, September 1, 2019 to August 31, 2020.

Value of food rescued ($)

Food Industry partners

pounds of food rescued

“Food insecurity isn’t just a case of not enough food, it’s also about getting the food to the place where people need it.”

James McAra
President & CEO, Calgary Food Bank

Food Rescue and Movement

Food Share

The Food Share Program is part of a national and regional network that distributes perishable and nonperishable food donations to food banks in Southern Alberta and across the country. Because the Calgary Food Bank has a fleet of 13 vehicles and 55,781 square feet of warehouse space, we have the capacity to handle massive amounts of food. We can break down pallets of food donations into manageable case quantities for smaller food banks.

We also can redirect large donations like trailers of General Mills cereal and granola bars to food banks in Edmonton, Ontario, and New Brunswick. The Food Share Program works in concert with Food Bank Canada’s National Food Sharing System and Food Bank Alberta’s network of food banks.

Our programming has improved through rigorous review and adaptation, letting us deliver more value to the people we serve. Want to know more? Visit our Charity Intelligence page to review the program goals and learnings.

Did You know?

Fast Facts

Numbers reflect our fiscal year, September 1, 2019 to August 31, 2020.

Value of food distributed through the food share program ($)

Food Banks Received food

pounds of food distributed through The food share Program

“We view the Calgary Food Bank as a key
partner and mentor. There doesn’t appear to be any matter too small or big that they can’t help us with. The kindness and generosity they have shown to our clients, staff, volunteers and board members is greatly appreciated. It is a great comfort to know that we have their support, now, and in the days to come.”

Pamela McLean
Okotoks Food Bank

Food movement in a crisis

We are part of a provincial and national network that works with relief organizations, food banks, food industry and transportation companies to provide food support in times of disaster.

How do we do this? Calgary is a delivery hub for the food industry supply chain. We worked for over 35 years to become a link in that chain. Our capacity to accept and distribute large volumes of food allows us to redistribute to other organizations as part of the Regional and National Food Share program. This capacity provides flexibility to mobilize and direct food when and where it’s needed in times of crisis such as the 2013 Alberta floods, the 2016 Fort McMurray and 2017 and 2018 B.C. wildfires.