Calgary charities cut food hampers in favour of gift cards, free markets

In terms of fighting hunger, the charity food hamper has been a staple for decades.

A box full of cans and basics, donated or bought in bulk, it’s filled and handed out to families and individuals to keep them on their feet.

But now some Calgary charities are realizing how much food goes to waste in this model, even when recipients need the help.

They say alternatives like grocery gift cards and free food “markets” give people the dignity of choice and ensure they can actually use what they get.

I Can for Kids Foundation is a good example. Co-founder Bobbi Turko says the charity was created in 2015 with the goal of feeding children during the summer break, when students lose access to school lunch programs.

For five years, the charity ran a 20,000-square-foot warehouse and signed up 65 volunteers per shift to pack food hampers and ship them to community organizations around the city. 

Then COVID hit, shutting down schools for a lot longer than the 10 weeks of summer vacation, and threw a wrench in their old system of food packing and delivery. 

The pivot to grocery gift cards was first a quick, temporary fix.

Now Turko says they would never go back.

Recipients interviewed afterward said that being able to pick out what they needed from a grocery store meant they got more fresh fruit and vegetables, meat that fit their religious or dietary requirements, and the right amount of each item to fit their family’s needs. 

They weren’t throwing out or re-gifting up to half the box anymore. 

“It was a learning opportunity. It was literally an eye-opener and it was a game changer for us,” said Turko. “That was our inspiration and motivation to completely flip our model away from food entirely and focus exclusively on grocery gift cards.”

They’ve since handed out more than $4 million in gift cards over the past five years, and in the last year alone, they figure they’ve helped more than 41,500 kids. The $50 cards are distributed through community groups or health centres that know the families in need personally. 

Turko says the gift cards get closer to fixing the real problem causing hunger, too.