Many people think of food security as the opposite of food insecurity, which refers to a household’s ability to afford the food they need. However, food security goes one step further to encompass the structure and operation of our food systems.
The Calgary Food Bank distributes approximately 400 food hampers to households experiencing food insecurity and processes over 500 requests for emergency food hampers each day. How do we manage such a high need for emergency food support?
Joel Perry spent 38 years in the insurance business before exchanging his briefcase for keys to one of our 5-ton trucks. ‘Do what you love, and you won’t work a day in your life’ are words Joel lives by every time he comes to work at the Calgary Food Bank to collect food for fellow Calgarians who are experiencing food insecurity.
Mikala Wilson is a Primary Care Dietitian with Mosaic Primary Care Network (PCN) and a former volunteer with the Calgary Food Bank. In the spring of 2020, she volunteered in the food distribution area; a few months later, she was asked to help with Food Hamper Nutrition Analysis. THAT was a changing moment for her and for us.