More and more Albertans are turning to food banks to survive, as they continue to feel squeezed by the rising cost of living. Now, some of those organizations are taking a different approach to helping their clients.
Jason Kavanagh, a single father of three kids between the ages of 10 and 19, shops at the C5 Community Market, where people can come shop produce, non-perishables and essentials at no cost to them. There are other C5 locations in Edmonton that provide other services, but this is the only market C5 runs.
“Groceries nowadays with four people, even if you’re trying to be cheap, you’re not walking out of there less than $300 to $400,” Kavanagh told CBC News.
“Eventually money dries up, credit gets maxed out — and then I found these guys.”
He found the application process easy. It was hard to come in for the first time, he said, but the staff was friendly and easy-going.
At C5 Community Market, people shop by appointment twice a month. Kavanagh prefers this model over getting a food hamper, he said, because having choice works for his family.
“It’s not just, ‘Oh, here’s your stuff. Have a good day,'” he said. “I think [this] works a lot better. More people should follow these guys’ lead.”
Being able to speak with staff members has also made Kavanagh more comfortable, he said. Together, they have chatted about his family. During one visit, he recalled, a staff member at the market pointed out a specific candy he thought Kavanagh’s daughter would enjoy.
“I’m sure you know what the very first thing she took out of the bag when I got home: it was the candies. Gone,” he said with a smile.
“Little things like that, it makes you feel more like a human — and that’s the way it should be.”
CBC’s Travis McEwan checks out the choice model catching on at some food banks in Alberta where clients pick what they want from the shelves instead of getting what comes in a hamper. CBC is bringing you stories about food and affordability as part of our Make the Season Kind campaign. For more, visit cbc.ca/kindyeg
The community market model is something working well for the University of Alberta Campus Food Bank, said Erin O’Neil, its executive director. The food bank on campus has operated a shopping model since November 2022 — just as demand there started to spike.
“We wanted to mimic as much as possible the regular experience of being at a grocery store,” she said. “There are elements of client dignity and making sure that food access doesn’t feel shameful.”
There are other benefits to the community model she didn’t anticipate, O’Neil said, such as lower amounts of food going into their hampers.
Previously, when the campus food bank gave out hampers, it often loaded them with more than 20 pounds of food per visit. Now, it’s providing less than 20 pounds on average, she said.
“We attribute that to the choice, where people aren’t necessarily taking food that they don’t need or want,” O’Neil said.
The free grocery-style model works for smaller agencies in Edmonton. Edmonton’s Food Bank operates a small shopping-model pantry, but executive director Marjorie Bencz said the food bank would have to be 20 to 30 times larger to solely use the shopping model.
In October, Bencz said, Edmonton’s Food Bank filled more than 47,000 hampers — a record.
“It would be impossible to set up something like this in 80 different facilities throughout the city,” Bencz said.
“Just from space-wise, having availability of freezers and coolers, but also the sheer volume of people we’re serving.”