Calgary Food Bank opens grocery store-style location in downtown
Posted Dec 15, 2025 2:50 pm.
Last Updated Dec 16, 2025 7:04 am.
On average, about 3,000 people access the Calgary Food Bank every single day. With food insecurity at an all-time high, the food bank is extending its reach and giving Calgarians more choice at its new grocery store-style location.
Gone are the days of canned beans, canned tomatoes, and macaroni at the Calgary Food Bank,” said CEO Melissa From. “You are getting this beautiful produce, you’re getting milk, you’re getting eggs, you’re getting protein, and then you’re also getting a bit of spaghetti and maybe some rice or something to go along with it.”
Unlike the warehouse location, the new venue is set up like a supermarket, allowing clients to choose their own groceries in a stigma-free environment.
“When I go shopping with my family, we walk down the aisles and it’s not just a question of whether or not we want pasta — my children get to decide: do we want curly pasta or bowtie pasta? And we really want our clients to have the same experience here,” From said.
The new food bank is in the Neoma building on 7 Avenue SW, along the CTrain line. Neoma is managed by non-profit organization HomeSpace and houses clients from Inn From the Cold.
“Sometimes it’s hard to celebrate a step like this because what it means is there is increasing demand,” said Inn From the Cold CEO, Heather Morley.
Clients need to pre-register with the food bank to access the store at Neoma.
The food bank works with several local agencies to provide wrap-around supports for Calgarians, including The Alex, The Mustard Seed, the Drop-In Centre, and Alpha House.
