RedDeer,Alberta

PilotProject

Summary
FoodforFriendsprovidesfinancialservicestothoseneedingemergencyfoodsupport.The
serviceincludesbasicfinancialsupportintheformofafoodcard,andifdesirededucationto
teachpeoplehowtochoosenutrientdensefoodsandtrainingonhowtobestutilizethatfood.

TheFoodforFriendsfoodcardmodelefficientlyconnectspeoplewiththefoodtheyneedby
providingthemaccesstothegrocerystore.Weareanorganizationthathasimplementeda
progressivewaytoredistributefoodforpeople,experiencingfoodinsecurity,inourcommunity.
Ourorganizationdoesnotdirectlydistributefood,thisisaredistributionoffoodequity,interms
ofwhogetswhatkindsoffood.Thismeansthatlowerincomefamiliesnowhavemore
opportunitiestobuytheirgroceriesinthesamelineupasthosewhoarefoodsecure.

Theconceptistoreplacethestigmathatmaycomewithusingtraditionalprograms,witha
moderncashcardthatallowspeopletopurchasethegroceriestheyneed,whentheyneedit,in
anintegratedsystem.FoodforFriendsisanalternativetotheFoodBankandaugmentswith
foodsecurityservicesinRedDeerasawholeandwillcollaboratewithcommunityorganizations
wherepossible.

Thecardparticipantsreceiveissimilartoadebitcard,thathasanapprovedvalueattached,
whichthenallowstheindividualtopurchasetaxexemptfooditemsfromparticipating
merchants.FoodforFriendsallowstheindividualreceivingsupporttopurchasethefoodthey
wantandthatmeetstheirfamilysdietaryneedsinamannerthatallowsthemtomaintaintheir
dignityandchoiceofproduct.

FoodforFriendsacceptsclientsbyreferralonlyandtakesamodernapproachtoaddressfood
insecurity.Furthermore,ourprogramisnotjustahandoutbutahandupwhereparticipantscan
betaughthowtopurchasehealthyfoodsandhowthosefoodscanbebestutilizedforfamily
meals.

Vision
ThateveryoneinRedDeerwillhaveeasyandequalaccesstothegrocerystoreandwillbe
properlynourished.ThatnooneinRedDeerwillgohungryandeveryonewillunderstandbasic
nutritionandknowaboutfoodpreparation.

Mission
EnsurethateveryoneinRedDeerhasthefinancialresourcesandknowledgeofnutritionand
foodpreparationtoeliminatehungerandensurepropernutrition.

Objectives
Provideentrytogrocerystoresforthosestrugglingwithfoodinsecurity.
IncreaseawarenessaboutfoodinsecurityandfooddistributionthroughoutRedDeer.
Assist50individualsand50familieswithfoodcardsbytheendofthefirstyearofoperation.
Increasetheamountoffamilieswehelpby25%bytheendofthesecondyearofoperation.
Theobjectivesoftheeducationprogramsandworkshopsaretoeducateparticipants,increase
awarenessaboutourservices,beasourceofrevenue,aswellasbeanopportunityforsocial
enterprise.

Background
ThisuniqueprogramoriginatedinWoodstockOntario,throughOperationSharingandisnowin
RedDeerandCentralAlberta,withafewalterationstobettersuitourlocalcommunity.
The
executivedirectorofOperationSharing,Stephen
GiulianowhooverseesWoodstockOntarios
FoodforFriendsprogram,
saidthat"Wehavebeenabletoprovidehighlycontrolled,
nontransferablefoodcardswherepeoplecangoandbuyallhealthyfoods,makethechoices
themselvesbasedontheirdietaryneedsandalsogivesthemconfidenceinavarietyofother
areasofthelifeandithasbeenrunningsuccessfullyforeightyears."
(1)

FoodforFriendswasconceivedinRedDeerfromapassiontoimprovelivesthroughpoverty
reductionstrategiesandhealthyeating.Furthermore,thereisunfortunatelyaneedforfood
redistributionandalackofawarenessabouttheaccesstofoodforover5000lowincomeand
evensomemiddleincomehouseholdsinRedDeer.Oursocietyhascreatedatwotiersystem
forthoseneedingfoodwherepoorpeoplegotothefoodbankandrichpeoplegotothegrocery
store.Weneedtomovetowardsintegrationandhaveonedoorinsteadoftwodoors.Our
communityneedstomovetoamoresustainableandefficientwayofhelpingpeopleaccess
food,whichisachievedthroughFoodforFriends.

WhatisFoodInsecurity?
Foodinsecurityexistswithinahouseholdwhenoneormoremembersdonothaveaccessto
thevarietyorquantityoffoodthattheyneedduetolackofmoneyand/orresources.
TheWorldHealthOrganizationexplainsthatfoodsecurityisbuiltonthreepillars:
Foodavailability:sufficientquantitiesoffoodavailableonaconsistentbasis.
Foodaccess:havingsufficientresourcestoobtainappropriatefoodsforanutritiousdiet.
Fooduse:appropriateusebasedonknowledgeofbasicnutritionandcare,aswellas
adequatewaterandsanitation.
(2)

Foodinsecurityexistswhenevertheavailabilityofnutritionallyadequateandsafefoodsorthe
abilitytoacquireacceptablefoodsinsociallyacceptablewaysislimitedoruncertain.
(3)
The
CommitteeonEconomic,SocialandCulturalRightshasproduced
GeneralComment12
which
1

declaresthat:therighttofoodisrealizedwheneveryman,womanandchild,aloneorin
communitywithothers,havephysicalandeconomicaccessatalltimestoadequatefoodor
meanforitsprocurement.
(4)

ThereisagrowinggapbetweentherichandpoorinAlberta,creatinggreaterincomeinequality
(5)
Povertyisacomplexissuehoweverweknowthingslikealackofaffordablehousing,
contributetopeoplenothavingenoughmoneytoliveandobtainbasicneedslikefoodeven
thoseworkingfulltime.FoodforFriendsisheretoassistthoseindividualswithnominal
amountsofcashonfoodcards,tohelpthoseexhibitinganeedforfoodsupport.

WillFoodforFriendsbethesolutionforfoodsecurity?
Werecognizethatemergencyfoodassistanceisnotenough.Ourcontributionistohelp
alleviatehungerincommunitiesandprovideindividualsandfamilieswithnutrientdensefoods.
Allfoodsecurityprograms,whetheritisFoodforFriends,afoodbank,collaborativekitchensor
otherprogramswillnotsolvetheissueoffoodsecurity.Whilewehopewewillempowerand
educatepeopleonbetterfoodchoices,leadingtohealthierlifestyles,wearestillareactionto
thefactthattherearepeopleinourcommunitieswhoneedfood.Thebiggerpictureisincome
inequalityandwhatmunicipal,provincialandfederallevelsofgovernmentaregoingtodoto
addressthisgrowingconcern.FoodforFriendswilladvocateforpovertyreductionstrategies
andstaycurrentwithrecommendationsfromdifferentcommunityorganizationsandthe
governmentforincreasingaccesstofood.

FoodforFriendsembracesaprogressiveapproachtofooddistributionthatempowers
people,providesaccesstonutritiousfoodandisefficientinprocess.

Dignity
:Participantsgettogotothesamegrocerystoreandthesamelineupaseveryone
else,andpayinasimilarwayaseveryoneelse.Givenlowincomeresidents,arenotoften
askedwhattheywanttoeat,theopportunitytochoosewhattheyeatisaformofempowerment.
Furthermore,ifsomeonehasspecialdietaryneeds,suchadiabetesorallergiestheyarebetter
equippedtomeetthoseneedswhenbeingabletochoosetheirowngroceries,atagrocery
storewiththefoodcard.

Nutrition
Participantsgettomaintaintheirchoiceofproductandtheirownnutrientdense
groceriesgroceriesthatafamilycanbuildamealaround.Theyarefreetoselectchicken
thighs,headsoflettuce,freshfruitandarenotlimitedtoitemsthatarenonperishable.Only
nontaxablefooditemsmaybepurchasedwiththefoodcardmoststaplesarenontaxable
whilemostjunkfoodandpreparedfoodsaretaxed.

Efficient:
Participantsgetwhattheyneedwhentheyneedit.Associetycontinuestoprogress,
newchallengesemergeandtraditionalsourcesofaddressingfoodinsecurityarefailingtokeep
up.
ThecardsallottedthroughFoodforFriendsarenotonlyamorediscreetmethodof
distributingfoodtheyarefarmoreefficient.Thisprogramcutsouttheneedforfoodtruck
deliveries,warehousestorage,andhundredsofvolunteerhours.
Timeandsustainabilityare
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alsoconsideredasitmaybeeasierforparticipantstoaccesstheirlocalgrocerystoreor
communitygarden.

FoodCards
AllpotentialFoodforFriendsclientsmustcompleteanapplicationformtoseeiftheyareeligible
toreceivethefoodcard.Throughtheapplicationprocessweareassessingtheindividual's
incometoseehowmuchmoneytheyhavelefttopurchasefoodwith,afterallotherbasic
expensessuchasrentarepaid.

Cardsareissuedonamonthlybasisforaperiodoffourmonths,haveanidentificationnumber
onthemandarenottransferable.Therearebuiltincomponentsofthecardtoprotectthe
integrityofourprogramandtoensurethatnutritiousfoodsarebeingselected.

Theindividualwillpurchasewhatisrequired
fortheirbasicgroceryneedsinthestore,like
everyoneelse.Itemsselectedwillbenon
taxableitemsonly.Thecardwillbe
surrenderedatthetimeofpurchase.Should
thepurchasebelessthanthevalueofthe
cardnochangewillbeissued.Ifthe
purchaseisgreaterthanthevalueofthecard
itisuptotheindividualtopaythedifference.
Aduplicatereceiptwillthenbeprintedand
signedbytherecipient.Fromtherethecard
willbeattachedtothesignedreceiptand
retainedbythestoreforpickupand
verificationbyFoodforFriends.

OtherServices
NutritionalGuidance

Ifaclientrequestshelporwethinktheclientcouldusetipsonhowtoshopfornutrientdense
foodonabudgetwewillprovidethatguidance.Sincewedonotwanttoduplicateservicesthat
guidancemaycomeintheformofacollaborativeapproachwithanotheragency.Educational
servicesmaycomeintheformofgrocerystoretours,nutritionalworkshops,andmore.Wewill
alsohavereferencematerialthatwillbeavailabletotheparticipantsfromdietaryprofessionals.

UrbanGardening
FoodforFriendswillencouragepeopletogrowtheirownfood.Beingabletogrowyourown
freshfruitsandvegetablescanreduceoverallhouseholdfoodexpenses.Homegrownproduce
isusuallyorganicandcanalsoprovidemeaningfuldailyactivityforpeople.
Therearemanycommunitygardenplotsaswellasuniquewaystoutilizeevensmallspacesfor
foodproduction.Againsincewedonotwanttoduplicateservicesthatguidancemaycomein
theformofacollaborativeapproachwithanotheragency.
Thiswillalsobeanopportunityforsocialenterprise.Someofthefoodgrownwillbesoldat
farmersmarketsandthosefundswillberedirectedbackintoourprogram.

FreezerMealWorkshops
Participantswillbesenthomewithavarietyoffrozenmeals.Participationwillnotbelimitedto
membershelpedbyFoodforFriends,butratherbeopentoanyoneinthecommunitywho
wouldliketoparticipate.Becausethereisachargefortheseworkshopstheywillalsoleadtoa
streamofrevenuefortheorganization.

Whypeopleneedthisservice?
Whenyouarehometotheeconomicengineofthecountryandhaveahealthyshareofthe
wealthiestpeopleinthecountry,itcanleadtowidegaps.Albertahasthehighestgapof
incomeinequalityinCanada.
(6)
UnfortunatelytheincomeinequalityinAlbertacontinuesto
growashighlightedinarecentdocumentfromPublicInterestAlbertacalledNoChange.
Thenonprofitsocietycenteringaroundfoodsecurityhasbeenservingthelowincomesegment
inRedDeerforover30years.TheprovinceofAlbertahad67,433peoplewhoaccessedthe
foodbanklastyearinMarch,whichwasa23.4%increaseintheuseoffoodbanksfromMarch
20142015.
(7)
FoodforFriendsseekstoprovideaprogressivewayforpeopletoobtainfood
securitythatempowersindividualsbyallowingthemtochoosetheirownfoodsatalocalgrocery
storelikeeveryoneelse,whichalsohelpsthemtomaintaintheirdignity.

Theneedforfoodsecurityisunfortunatelymoreandmoreofaconcernindividualsare
searchingforassistancethatwillsupporttheminadignifiedandempoweringway.Whilesome
individualsarejustseekingdirectfoodassistancesomearealsoseekinginformationonhowto
improvewhattheycandowiththefoodtheyhaveaccessto.

Thereare1in8Canadianhouseholdsthatstruggletoputfoodonthetable

(8)
andwithin
Albertathereareover140,000childrenlivinginpoverty.
(9)
Whenachildreceivesnutrient
densefoodswhiletheygrowanddeveloptheywillperformbetterinschool,extracurricular
activitiesandsports.
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FoodforFriendswillgivefamilieswithdependantspriorityandhopefullyhelpchildrenlearnthe
importanceofmakinghealthyfoodchoicesthroughtheprocess.

Closing
AcomprehensivelookatcurrentprogramsandtheirreachhasbeenexaminedsothattheFood
forFriendsprogramwillnotduplicateservices,onlycomplementorprovideanalternativeto
existingprogramsandaugmentwithfoodservicesinRedDeerasawhole.

FoodforFriendsprovidesfinancialservicesandentrytoagrocerystoreforthoseneeding
emergencyfoodsupport.Theserviceincludesbasicfinancialsupportintheformofafoodcard,
educationtoteachpeopleonhowtochoosenutrientdensefoodsandtrainingonhowtobest
utilizethosefoods.Thefoodcardwillprovidethemwithcompleteaccesstoagrocerystore
throughadiscrete,efficientandprogressiveservice.

FormoreinformationaboutFoodforFriendsortogetinvolvedpleasecontactKrystal
KrommWieler,4033528854

Sources
1)
http://operationsharing.com/eventsmedia/
2)http://www.who.int/trade/glossary/story028/en/
3)FoodInsecurityandHungerintheUnitedStates:AnAssessmentoftheMeasure,2006,
Chapter3.
http://www.nap.edu/read/11578/chapter/5#42
4)CanadaWithoutFood,TheRighttoFood,
http://www.cwpcsp.ca/poverty/ahumanrightsviolation/therighttofood/
5)http://s3uswest2.amazonaws.com/parklandresearchpdfs/fromgaptochasm.pdf
6)
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/11/19/albertaincomeinequality_n_6186066.html
7)
https://www.foodbankscanada.ca/getmedia/01e662baf1d7419db40cbcc71a9f943c/HungerCo
unt2015_singles.pdf.aspx
8)
https://www.foodbankscanada.ca/getmedia/01e662baf1d7419db40cbcc71a9f943c/HungerCo
unt2015_singles.pdf.aspx
9)http://pialberta.org/content/nochange143200childrenlivepovertyalberta