Calgarians challenge food insecurity by showcasing generosity this holiday season
Posted Dec 18, 2022 2:27 pm.
Many people struggling with the rising cost of living amid soaring inflation have had to cut back on buying groceries.
This is made all the more difficult as the holiday season quickly approaches.
Meanwhile local charities and non-profits are gearing up to give back and accommodate the sudden influx of those in need.
“Well this time of year is our busiest season and we haven’t seen a slowdown for the last couple of years,” said Shauna Ogsten with the Calgary Food Bank. “December is always our busiest time of year. Last month we handed out 10,000 hampers and we know December is going to be even more.
“We have a lot of people coming to the Food Bank that have exhausted all of their resources and with the constant increase in food and rent and utilities, food is the first thing in their budget to go.”
“And because of the generosity of Calgarians we’re able to meet the food demands that they have and take that stress off the table and they can focus on their other expenses,” she added.
Ogsten adds that apart from food donations they require people to devote their time by volunteering.
“People can give their time, that’s what we need the most because the more hands we have, the more hampers we can make and the more people we can help. So that is something perhaps if you want to get together as a family over the holidays or make a new year’s resolution, to volunteer that gift of time is going to mean so much,” said Ogsten.
Ogsten adds that for every dollar donated, they can leverage that into $5 worth of food. Plus there’s a lot of quality and healthy items in a hamper they can purchase including milk, eggs and proteins.
“But you know, even if you’re grocery shopping and purchasing things for your own Christmas supper, why not put one more item that you love into the donation bin?” said Ogsten.
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And she emphasizes that each non-perishable item donated to the annual food drive matters and makes a difference.
“This food drive is truly going to help out because we rely on so many core items, actually food items, that are donated,” she said. “We know that the in-store donation bins are going to fill up and we’ll be able to make sure we have some good quality items with best-before dates that are very close to now and we can get those into people’s hampers right away.”
Apart from physically donated non-perishable food items, Calgarians can also donate online on the Calgary Food Bank’s website.
There are other alternatives to the local food bank, with some Calgary initiatives raising awareness on food security.
For example, the Guru Nanak is a free weekly kitchen in Calgary that distributes fresh produce and meals to anyone that shows up.
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It began in the summer of 2007 in Vancouver by encouraging Sikh youth and other organizations to volunteer their time and services.
The concept itself is based on the idea of a communal kitchen and the practice of “langar” and “seva,” which means the selfless service of humanity – an act of compassion performed without any expectation of receiving any result or reward in return.
The Guru Nanak Free Kitchen recently launched in Calgary.
The Guru Nanak Free Kitchen in the community of Westwinds, Calgary, AB, Canada. (Photo: Tiffany Goodwein, CityNews Calgary)
For the last four months, every Sunday at 11 a.m. volunteers from the makeshift kitchen have been giving out hot food in downtown Calgary.
They have also been doing so for the last five years in Saskatchewan.
They also hosted a one-day event Saturday, giving out fresh produce like fruits and veggies.
“We saw on Facebook a lot of people are going to the Food Bank. There is a shortage of groceries and we started this,” said Sandeep Singh, a volunteer from Guru Nanak Free Kitchen Calgary.
Singh says that if somebody is coming in minus-17 Celsius weather, they are in need of food. Plus they are always looking for an extra pair of hands to help out.
“Everybody needs food nowadays.”
“We have a lot of volunteers here and we always need volunteers downtown, also on Sundays if somebody wants to join us,” said Singh.
The initiative is self-sufficient and fully funded out of pocket by the organizers themselves. Singh adds they invest 10 per cent of their earnings in the charitable cause.
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One attendee says the handful of free food helps as she works part-time and only earns minimum wage.
“This is too much for us because I’m working part-time and this really helps a lot,” said one attendee.
“Sometimes because of the inflation that’s going on, that’s why everybody is having a difficult time during this time of crisis,” she said.
“I’m so happy I’m going to go back with a handful of free stuff,” she adds.
–with files from Tiffany Goodwein and Mark Strashok
