Strathcona Food Bank celebrates 40th anniversary milestone

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An incredible organization, supported by only volunteers, has had an incredible impact within Strathcona County over the past forty years.

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The inaugural Nourish Gala, hosted by the Strathcona Food Bank, celebrated 40 years of the nonprofit’s service and showcased some of the best local restaurants in the community center’s Agora on Saturday, April 27. The evening raised thousands for the nonprofit, including $4,500 for an original painting by Giselle Denis, which was created live during the gala, $1,250 for an ultimate date night with a hot air balloon ride, and $8,750 for a new oven and air conditioning.

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“We are honored to celebrate this important milestone with all of you, our valued supporters and friends. Your continued help and encouragement have enabled us to serve the province for four decades. Together we can all continue to make a difference,” Kathryn Howden, co-chair of the Strathcona Food Bank, told the crowd. “Your presence and support will help us achieve our vision of nourishing our community with food and hope, and ultimately providing food security to everyone in Strathcona County. After all, we believe that everyone deserves to eat nutritious food.”

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The food bank has been serving Sherwood Park and rural Strathcona County since 1984, after the bank was founded in 1983.

The humble beginnings were founded with eight volunteer board members within a 1,500-square-foot space in the back of the county’s Family and Community Services offices, which at the time was a shared space with the County Clothesline.

It then moved to the back of the former Sword and Shield movie theater before finding its permanent home at the 255 Kaska Road location in April 1988. While the food bank is still housed there, it started with 3,200 square feet and has grown five times extensive. to the current size of 10,300 square meters.

Over the past 40 years, the nonprofit’s level of support has been remarkable, as it has served more than 193,000 residents.

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In 1983, the local food bank built 219 baskets, and forty years later there are more than 5,550 each year.

Since 2021, the food bank has recorded a whopping 88 percent increase in demand.

“The need is real. Visits to our food bank have more than doubled in the last two years,” said Tracey Cyca, co-chair of the Strathcona Food Bank. “We also see a change in the diversity of our customers. We are seeing more seniors as the price of food rises, and as inflation rises we have seen more working families which is a big change… In addition to our indigenous communities we are seeing an increase in customers from Ukraine, South East Asia and Central and South America.”

Last year it reported a 35 percent increase in the number of people needing food parcels – and that was on top of the 35 percent increase recorded in 2022. Those customers include more working families, seniors and people who don’t have a home, whether they’re people living in their cars or in tents.

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By the end of the year, that number had grown to 17,141 people, 40 percent of whom were children and teenagers.

“They are there to feed the community with food and hope,” outlined gala co-host, MC and CBC Edmonton AM Tara McCarthy. “They had more than 17,000 visits in 2023 and more than 6,400 food parcels were built. Those are pretty incredible numbers. The demand for the local food bank will continue to rise in 2024.”

Offering congratulations on behalf of the City Council, Mayor Rod Frank said the food bank is a highly valued and necessary service within Strathcona County, and urged everyone to volunteer or donate to support its future success.

“Thank you to all the volunteers. Your tireless efforts have been the backbone of the food bank and you have not fed the community, but you have also fed it with hope and compassion,” the mayor said.

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Judy Gray, a longtime volunteer, board member and past president, was in attendance. Before retiring as a volunteer in December 2018, she recalled how the nonprofit experienced large jumps in demand due to economic challenges and a growing population.

“I knew it was coming. We all wanted to be laid off, but I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon, with the way the world is right now,” Gray said of the food bank’s 40th anniversary. “Food banks will continue to struggle because the numbers will continue to rise.”

The evening included culinary arts students from Salisbury Composite High School, who prepared a dish for dinner and served a repurposed New York cheesecake from WOW Factor Desserts! The school has been working with the food bank for more than a year on a food waste reduction program, turning food that would otherwise have been sent to the landfill into soups, sauces and desserts for food bank clients.

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“Our students learn and practice their culinary skills while also giving back to the community. The buy-in is huge,” said Miranda, a culinary arts teacher at Salisbury Composite High School Higuchi. “When I tell them to peel 50 pounds of apples for me I get a lot of groans, but when I say it’s for the food bank, it’s all sales because they’re really proud of it. They are proud to be part of the food waste system and food recovery. It’s one idea to teach about it, but it’s another thing to be able to participate in it and give back to the community at the same time.”

Workshop Eatery, La Patrona, Earl’s, Stringray and Vicky’s Restaurant also provided delicious meals that evening, and students from Crescendo Music provided entertainment.

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X: LindsayDMorey

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