Support the 25th Annual Mayor's Food Drive!

On November 22, I officially launched the 25^th Annual Mayor’s Christmas Food Drive in support of the Calgary Food Bank.

Many people refer to the holiday season as a season of giving. I would say, however, that this year we have witnessed how Calgarians share their generosity all year long. In the aftermath of the floods that affected so much of our city, Calgarians gave their time, money, and other goods, to help those in need.

The need has not gone away. Many residents may have to make difficult decisions because of financial pressures brought on by the floods, and there are many more who were struggling to make ends meet long before the rivers breached their banks.

Over the last year, the Calgary Food Bank distributed more than 73,000 hampers. In addition to hampers to assist families and individuals with an emergency need, the Food Bank has a number of specialty programs to help those in unique circumstances. The coordination of services between the Food Bank and other community agencies means that 82% of all clients at the Food Bank visited three times or fewer in their lifetime; 41% of all clients have only used the Food Bank once (Source). As we learned this past summer, none of know when our own need might arise, and we are fortunate to have an organization like the Calgary Food Bank in our midst to help us through the tough times.

Last year, Calgarians helped raise $540,000 worth of food and cash donations through the Mayor’s Food Drive. Please join me in beating that amount this year. Together, we can make sure that our community is hunger-free. You can donate food at any of our partner locations or make a cash donation online. (If you are making a cash donation online, please select the “Mayor’s Food Drive” option when filling out the forms.)

Donation locations:

All Calgary Safeway stores

Participating Calgary Motor Dealers

Participating Schools

Participating Community Associations

Participating City of Calgary Departments