Food bank launches donation campaigns

Two initiatives launched Saturday in support of the Calgary Food Bank, which is seeing unprecedented demand heading into the holiday season.

The food bank’s 31st annual Stuff-a-bus program took place Saturday, with Calgarians asked to help stock Calgary Transit buses full of food donations at 19 separate Co-op locations across the city. The Mayor’s Annual Christmas Food Drive, now in its 35th year, also launched Saturday.

The programs helped raise almost $400,000 in combined cash and food donations last year, and Calgary Food Bank CEO Melissa From said the demand this year is even greater — after four straight years of increasing need.

“It’s kind of one record breaker after another — and not in a good way,” said From.

From said in 2019, the food bank was serving up to 350 families a day, rising to around 400 by 2022. This year, the food bank is serving almost double that — between 650 and 700 families daily.

“That just really speaks to what those increases have looked like — it was sort of little by little. Then, frankly, the last year was a lot by a lot,” she said.