About
Add Edmonton’s Food Bank to your will to connect your passion to our mission.
“A society grows great when old men [and women] plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.” ~Greek proverb
Our mission is “To be stewards in the collection of surplus and donated food for the effective distribution, free of charge, to people in need in our community while seeking solutions to the causes of hunger.” We envision of a community where hunger does not exist, where all citizens have access to an adequate and nutritious supply of food.
Edmonton’s Food Bank is a central warehouse and food distribution network for more than 360 agencies, churches, schools, shelters, and food depots. These partners provide over 400,000 meals monthly through soup kitchens, shelters, schools and afterschool programs, and community meals. We also directly support about 40,000 individuals monthly who are food insecure with hampers. Though the numbers are staggering, behind each one is a person whether it’s a parent, a child, a grandparent, a co-worker, or a friend. Regardless, they are our neighbours.
Our Impact
Because of donors like you, in 2023 Edmonton’s Food Bank …
- collected, sorted, and repackaged about 5.6 million kilograms of food valued at about $35.7M. Between 60% to 80% of the food we distribute was salvaged (gleaned) from grocery stores, warehouses, farmers, and other food suppliers.
- responded to as many as 700 calls in one day. On average, they receive 562 calls and 68 emails per day from people requesting food. As a result, the Food Bank provides food to about 40,000 people per month through our hamper programs; almost 40% are children under the age of 18.
- fleet travelled 239,949 kilometers in 2023 picking up and distributing food; that’s equivalent to travelling the entire TransCanada highway, west to east, 30 times!
- Beyond Food Program offers services in budgeting, resume writing, obtaining safety tickets, and more. In 2023, Beyond Food assisted 1,763 participants and helped pay for 648 safety tickets (and 1,754 free tickets) for individuals, creating more employment opportunities for them.
