How and what to donate to your local food banks in Calgary

Many of us want to donate, but aren’t sure what foods will be accepted or are needed at local food banks. The Alberta food banks are running their first ever provincial food drive, a month-long campaign, starting May 16.

To help you decide what to donate, a list of the most wanted and needed items can be found on both the Alberta Food Banks website and Calgary Food Banks site. The most commonly sought after items are:

Non-Perishable Food:
• Beans with or without pork
• Macaroni and cheese
• Pasta and sauce
• Canned fish or meat
• Peanut butter
• Powdered milk
• Soup
• Canned fruit or vegetables
• Granola bars
• Baby food or baby formula
• Juice boxes or other items for school lunches

Perishable Food:
• Bread
• Pastry
• Fruit
• Vegetables

Non-Food Items:
• Baby diapers
• Toiletries
• Dish soap
• Hygiene products

For those that don’t have time to drop off food you can donate online and choose the specific foods you want to donate. The Alberta food banks have launched a new online program where you can allocate where your money goes. For example you can now buy bag of apples, or a pound of protein and those specific items will be bought and then donated to the food bank in need. Part of the ‘eat real food campaign’ a dozen of the most needed, most nutritious food items have been selected for donation. Food banks in Alberta are the first in Canada to implement the convenient online platform.

In 2015 over 141,000 people were able to access emergency food thanks to donations.