Community effort seeks to restock shelves amid rising need
Calgary’s largest coordinated neighbourhood food collection returned Saturday as volunteers fanned out across the city to support the Calgary Food Bank (CFB) at a moment of sustained demand. The organisation’s 22nd annual City‑Wide Food Drive set ambitious collection goals as it contends with record levels of assistance requests.
Organisers targeted more than 204,000 kilograms of donated food and $100,000 in monetary contributions. Roughly 8,000 volunteers participated, visiting over 300,000 homes to gather donations. Volunteers included members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑Day Saints alongside food‑bank staff and community groups.
- Collection goal: 204,000 kg of food and $100,000 in cash
- Volunteers: approximately 8,000
- Homes reached: more than 300,000
"By community, for community"
Melissa From, CFB’s president and chief executive officer, described the day as evidence of local solidarity and a vital counterpoint to the everyday pressures the charity sees. While final tallies from the weekend drive were not available immediately, she said the public turnout itself was motivating for staff and volunteers.
Demand has surged in recent years
Calgary’s drive takes place against a backdrop of sharply increasing food‑bank usage. CFB’s 2024‑25 annual report shows the organisation distributed 202,926 emergency food hampers between September 2024 and August 2025 — a 17 per cent rise from the prior year and nearly triple the number provided in 2020. The charity also reported demand doubled over the preceding two years.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Emergency hampers (Sept 2024–Aug 2025) | 202,926 |
| Year‑over‑year increase | 17% |
| Volunteer turnout (drive) | ~8,000 |
Nationally, Food Banks Canada reports one in four Canadians experience some degree of food insecurity, and in March 2025 nearly 2.2 million visits to food banks were recorded. Locally, CFB leaders point to population growth and inflation as drivers behind the rising need. They have also noted a growing number of people accessing support while employed.
What this means for Calgarians
The City‑Wide Food Drive provides a concentrated influx of donations that helps CFB manage short‑term shortages and respond to spikes in demand. But the agency’s reported long‑term increases in hamper distribution underscore structural pressures on household budgets across Calgary, including higher living costs and a growing population.
Organisers emphasised that donations of both food and money are important: cash contributions allow the food bank to purchase nutritionally appropriate items and respond quickly to changing needs, while non‑perishable food donations offset routine replenishment costs.
As officials await the final collection totals from the weekend, the drive serves as a reminder of both the scale of need and the capacity for civic response in Calgary. The Food Bank and its partners continue to call for ongoing community support beyond annual events to keep pace with sustained demand.
