When community members come to the Community Kitchen Program of Calgary for support, they are given a hand-up, not just a hand-out. This principle guides the organization’s programs, which span nearly every neighbourhood in Calgary through a network of over 217 non-profit partners.
Rescued food from organizations like Second Harvest can be crucial for All Nations Hope Network. It helps ensure that families and individuals in need receive nutritious meals, particularly during high-demand periods like the holidays. This support alleviates food insecurity and helps the organization allocate resources more effectively.
Many, if not most of, our members do experience food insecurity, so they look forward to ‘Grocery Thursdays.’ The healthy food items provided by Second Harvest are very much appreciated, as generally these are the most expensive and unaffordable, but to most of us are basic staples.
We run our After School Program every day during the week. Most of our rescued food goes to this program to support the children and families. We run this program in a neighbourhood with a high risk of food insecurity. The children love this program and very much appreciate the extra food items they can enjoy and bring back to their families.