executive director’s annual report...
TRANSCRIPT
Executive Director’s Annual Report 2015
Submitted by
Danielle McIntyre
April 2016
2015 Food Hamper Statistics
1103 3 AVENUE NORTH
LETHBRIDGE AB T1H 0H7
PHONE 403 320 8779
FAX 403 328 0521
www.interfaithfoodbank.ca
Executive Director’s Annual Report 2015
We began 2015 optimistic about the slow and steady recovery of our provincial economy as we had seen a slight
decline in the number of people requesting our services in 2014. The economic landscape in Alberta changed
drastically in 2015, however, and we started to see the effects of the strain placed on our province after the price
of oil dropped to $50 per barrel in March.
The economy impacted both those we support, and those who support the food bank. We are so very fortunate
to belong to a community that recognizes the need to help one another through tough times. We saw many new
initiatives for raising funds brought forth from community members. We saw extra bodies step up to volunteer.
Together, with the support of our tireless volunteers and faithful donors, Interfaith Food Bank was able to
provide the following services during 2015:
7531 Hampers were distributed to assist 10,590 Adults and 7635 Children
10,697 daily food supplements provided (over and above hamper allotments)
803 Christmas Hampers were distributed, helping 1115 adults and 867 children to enjoy Christmas,
complete with regular monthly hamper allotments and Ham or Turkey dinner. Working collaboratively
with Lethbridge Food Bank and Salvation Army, 1622 households, consisting of 2262 adults and 1765
children, received supplies necessary for a Merry Christmas and 1656 children ages 17 and under
received toy bundles. We experienced a 15% increase in those supported for Christmas compared to
2014, as had been expected due to emerging trends in usage throughout the year.
70 Single parent families received larger than usual hampers for the winter months, thanks to our
Follow the Star Program, providing for 70 single parents and 182 children
45 Families were provided with supplies for the Christmas Meal and gifts for each family member
through our Adopt-A-Family Program, providing for 86 adults and 119 children
203 Children were referred to receive backpacks & school supplies through the Ready Set Go Back to
School Fair, in which we participated with numerous community agencies to provide almost 1100 local
children with the supplies necessary for the First Day at School
53 Clothing vouchers were distributed to clothe 78 adults and 57 children
1083 Diabetics were assisted with their special dietary needs through our Diabetic Bundle Program
577 Infants were assisted by our Baby Bundle Program
50 Homes were equipped with a Smart Start for Safety pack to ensure a safe home for babies
277 Pregnant mothers received additional food during this crucial developmental stage
452 Birthday bundles allowed parents to offer something special for their children on this special day
542 New clients were added to our database
Additional Food Packages
CLIENT INTAKE This year we saw what was supposed to be a slow recovery in the economy turn to tough times for Albertans.
The price of oil dropped drastically, unemployment rose steadily, and food bank usage increased accordingly.
While Lethbridge tends to weather the “economic storms” better than some other communities in our province
that are more industry dependent, we experienced the spin offs of the hits to the oil and gas industry. We served
an increase of 12% more households in comparison to 2014, and saw an increase of 18% in those accessing the
daily food supplements over and above our hamper allotments.
Food Bank usage across the country is tracked by Food Banks Canada and the annual Hunger Count Survey that
polls food banks each year in March, and compares statistics nationally and provincially. Alberta experienced
the highest jump in food banks usage, reporting an increase of more than 23% compared to March 2014.
Locally, our usage did not increase until later in the year.
The Summary below identifies how Interfaith Food Bank client access compares with the national and
provincial averages.
Food Banks Canada National
Hunger Count Comparisons
Canada Alberta Interfaith
March 2015
Interfaith
December
2015
Interfaith
March
2014
Interfaith
March
2009
People Served in Current Year 852,137 67,443 1451 1982 1435 1304
People Served in Year Prior 841,191 49,766 1435 1673 1333 692
Difference 10,946 17, 677 16 309 102 612
Percent Change 1.3% 23.4% - 19% 1% 88%
Percentage of Children 35.8% 41.2% 41% 44% 44% 45%
Seniors 65+ 4.9% 3.1% 1.8% 4% 1.9% 1%
Report Employment Income 11.6% 28.7% 20% 24% 22% 16%
Receive Employment Insurance 4.0% 4.5% 2.1% 3% 2.3% 5%
Receive Social Assistance 46.3% 31.7% 28% 22% 27.8% 46%
Receive Disability Supports 18.3% 13.1% 25% 26% 22.6% 18%
Lack of sufficient income continues to be the main cause for families to request access to our services. In our
community, we find that the majority of our families could benefit from more affordable housing options, and
increases to the minimum wage and government income support programs. Similar to most of Alberta, we see
more working people accessing the food bank, though the largest percentages of those accessing services are on
government support and disability programs which continue to struggle in providing enough to meet basic
needs.
In addition to providing emergency food assistance, Interfaith works closely with government and community
agencies to link our clients with resources that may address the underlying issues that place them in need of our
services. We have seen an increase in the number of new Canadians requesting assistance, as well as in the
number of single individuals, working people and those who live in subsidized housing. We find that by
working collaboratively with other community agencies, we can offer dignified choices and supports to our
clients in hopes of moving them past the food bank lineup.
Regular communication and gathering of feedback about our
services is essential to providing support that actually makes a
difference in the lives of those we serve. In addition to collecting
statistical information about client access and demographics, our
families participate in an annual survey to provide their opinions
of their experience with Interfaith Food Bank. First and foremost,
our clients express gratitude for the dignified manner in which we
provide our services. Not only are they provided with resources to
meet their immediate needs, but many report they felt uplifted and
hopeful after visiting our client intake. Many expressed thanks to
our staff and volunteers, and several were very grateful to have
obtained referrals to other community resources that could address
the underlying needs that placed them in need of our services.
Most Common Referral Requests 2015
Photo Identification
Emergency Hampers (additional food
supports after 1st hamper is accessed)
Clothing
Furniture
Assistance with Rent & Utility Bills
Subsidized Housing
Tax Preparation
School Lunch Programs
Library Cards
Interfaith Kitchen Programs
VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers are the lifeblood of Interfaith Food Bank, and we rely on their efforts to ensure the quality and
consistency of our services. Our volunteer program continues to grow and flourish with more than 100
volunteers contributing to our activities annually. In 2015, volunteers contributed 11,888 hours of service to
governance, operational, administrative and fund-raising activities. This equates to 6.8 full-time positions (or
almost 7 years of time by a full-time employee) and a minimum dollar value of $133,145.60 in free labour!
Our volunteers fill either regular or casual
positions and are recruited, screened and
trained according to the National
Volunteer Code and our own internal
policies and procedures. We hosted 2
Volunteer Appreciation Events in 2015,
and again acknowledged long term
volunteers with 5, 10, 15, and 20 year
service awards. In 2015, Catholic Charities provided
$5000 for our Volunteer Program to cover
costs associated with recruitment, training
and recognition of volunteers. This allows
us to ensure a consistent, quality standard
of service and provide a valuable
experience for our volunteers.
2015 Volunteer Hours – 11,888
As Hosts of the Provincial Food Bank
Conference in May 2015, we showcased
our facility and programming, and
provided our entire staff team with
professional development opportunities
ADMINISTRATION We have continued to improve our administrative procedures for tracking donations, managing inventory and
recording client access. In partnership with the Lethbridge Food Bank, we are able to house client files within
one networked system, ensuring that both local food banks have current information on clients accessing
services. With the joint system, we are able to ensure consistent screening processes and limit duplication of
services in addition to tracking the agency referrals from both food banks in an attempt to help families progress
along a continuum of services.
Administration of contributions has drastically improved since 2010 as we continue to become more familiar
with the donor tracking software. We distributed sponsorship packages for the second time this year along with
the fourth quarter receipts from 2014 in February, saving on postage and turning the receipting process into a
communications opportunity at the same time. Our two annual newsletters were mailed out using an addressed
admail service offered through Canada Post, and we continue to use our own postage meter in 2015 to save on
the increased postage rates introduced at the beginning of the year.
We are grateful for the support we receive from volunteers at MNP who assist us in tracking our payroll, and
administrative staff provided much assistance to maintaining accurate financial records and administration of
our overall operations. Donor recognition, event management, marketing and promotions are also done by our
administrative staff, and this year we were able to update our program brochures, design and update our
promotional displays and information posters within the facility to showcase our operations at the Food Banks
Alberta AGM and Provincial Conference that we co-hosted with Lethbridge Food Bank in May.
Interfaith Food Bank continue our work as a Good Food Organization, one
of the many groups representing communities all across the country working
together towards a healthy and fair food system. Community Food Centres
Canada will support the Good Food Organizations in becoming even more
robust and effective at delivering healthy and dignified food programs in
their communities. By joining the program we are making a commitment to
offering respectful, responsive, and impactful food programs in our
communities as a way of decreasing hunger, building better physical and
mental health, and reducing social isolation.
Additional administrative accomplishments for 2015 include:
Co-Hosting the Alberta Food Banks Provincial Conference
and Annual General Meeting – we are proud to announce
that our first attempt at hosting the conference resulted in the
most attendees and most food banks represented in
conference history!
Preparation and submission of several grant applications,
including successful submissions to United Way, Food
Banks Canada , Catholic Charities, Canada Summer Jobs,
and several smaller proposals that realized funding for
programs such as The Interfaith Chinook Country Kitchen,
Interfaith Learning Garden, and to cover technology and
equipment expenses.
Issued 2690 charitable tax receipts to acknowledge taxable
gifts received in 2015, acknowledgement and recording of
3471 separate donations.
Conducted the Annual Hunger Count Survey, as well as
polled our existing clients and volunteers to gather
stakeholder feedback and assess our programs and services.
Efficient management of records, receipts and finances.
FINANCE AND FUND-RAISING Support for Interfaith Food Bank’s programs and services come from a variety of sources, the majority of which
include donations from individuals and community groups. The bulk of our support is received in-kind through
donations of both food and non-food product. Financial support is crucial to our ability to cover operating costs,
and is most often recruited through donations and grant funding.
Interfaith recruits financial gifts through our annual Bakeless Bake Sale and Christmas Campaign, through the
operation of The Second Door Thrift Store, and fund-raising events such as our annual Whoop Up Days
Pancake Breakfast and Friends of Interfaith Charity Dinner & Silent Auction. We also generated a small portion
of our funds for operations as landlords, renting the front half of our building to West Wind Gymnastics Club
until the end of October.
Online Giving and Social Media Our website continues to be a great fund-raiser, as it incorporates the option for online giving, and in 2015,
almost $46,600 was contributed online – more than double our online donations in 2014! Donations received
online are administered through CanadaHelps.org, a non-profit organization that accepts, receipts, and forwards
donations directly to charities. The addition of online giving options has proven to be beneficial for accepting
credit card donations, monthly gifts, and donations of securities and/or investments.
In 2015, we continued to take advantage of our Facebook and Twitter accounts and have added many more
“followers” and “friends”. We will continue to explore social marketing options, as we find the instant nature of
social media connections to be very beneficial to our cause.
Fund-raising Activities Fund-raising has continued to be a major part of our activities at Interfaith Food Bank, and the majority of fund-
raising activities are done by outside groups on our behalf. With each event, we also try to include some form
of advocacy for our clients, most often by including an element of education about our cause. Working with the
media, the faith based community, schools and local businesses, we have attempted to keep the need to help the
hungry forefront in the minds of community members. The following major fund-raising campaigns and food
drives contributed to our ability to offer the quality and quantity of programs in 2015, however, many more
community events than these listed helped to raise funds, food, and other support:
AMA Annual Shred-It Event
Birdies for Kids/Shaw Charity Classic
Canada Day Run in a Red Dress – Runner’s Soul
Can Man Dan Provincial Food Drive
CANstruction
Centre Village Mall Toy Mountain
Christmas Hope Hockey Challenge
CTV and Safeway Friends Helping Friends
Curves Annual Food Drive
Davis GMC Annual Lube, Oil and Filter Day
Dupont Pioneer Food Drive
Evangelical Free Church Christmas Production
Farm Credit Canada Drive Away Hunger
Feed The Bug/Heep the Jeep
Friends of Interfaith Charity Dinner & Silent
Auction
Grow A Row/Garden Produce Program
Interfaith Annual First Day at School Program
Interfaith Change for the Better Campaign
Interfaith Food Bank Bakeless Bake Sale
Interfaith Food Bank Christmas Campaign
Interfaith Kids Against Hunger Campaign
Interfaith Whoop Up Days Pancake Breakfast
Kinsmen & Kinettes Tricks for Eats
Lethbridge Food Show
Lethbridge Bulls Strike Out Hunger
Lethbridge Community Band Mayor’s Concert
Lethbridge Herald Santa’s Little Helper
Lethbridge Hurricanes Teddy & Touque Toss
Lethbridge Public Library Food for Fines
Lethbridge Research Centre Food Banks Garden
Loblaw Extra Helping Food Drives
Logic Lumber Classic Car Show
Moonlight Run – Runner’s Soul
National Hunger Awareness Week
National Slow Pitch Association World Series
Save On Foods Help Hunger Disappear
Save On Foods Stuff A Bus
Sobeys Uplands Hop Into Easter Event
Sobeys Uplands Christmas in July
Sobeys Uplands Time for Sharing
Target Hunger City Wide Food Drive
Interfaith Food Bank continued our involvement as the
local charity to benefit from Mealshare, a registered
Non-Profit Society that works collaboratively with
partner restaurants allowing customers to provide a
meal for someone in need just by purchasing a meal of
their own while dining out. The buy one, give one
concept has taken off in many other larger centres, and
locally, we have 4 participating restaurants: Streatside
Eatery, Umami Shop, Two Guys & A Pizza Place and
Original Joe’s. The campaign raised over $4250 in
2015, and we continue to see funds raised through this
initiative.
The Second Door Thrift Store In addition to encouraging community participation in fund-
raising events and food drives, Interfaith Food Bank raises
funds through social enterprise: The Second Door Thrift
Store. The Second Door helps to turn non-food items into
funds that can be used for food and other program costs. We
use volunteers to man the store, sort and test appliances, and
display items for sale. Aside from being a fund-raising
initiative for Interfaith Food Bank, The Second Door Thrift
Store also offers the public, as well as families we serve, the
opportunity to purchase household items, gifts and other
products at affordable prices.
In 2015, we were able to raise over $31,000 from The Second Door Thrift Store to assist with funds required for
operational costs and food purchases. Sales in the thrift store are often due to the good quality and vast quantity
of new items, in addition to second hand items normally donated by community members. The majority of
these types of product are acquired through reclamation/liquidation processes, and in 2015 we were fortunate to
have received great quantities of cleaning products, hygiene products and seasonal goods such as Halloween and
Christmas decorations that boosted sales. We also continued some of the promotional sales established in 2014,
such as Grab Bag Sales and Buy One Get One offers.
PHYSICAL PLANT In addition to providing emergency food services, we have the responsibilty of providing a safe, clean
environment in which we conduct our business. Our staff and volunteers need to have appropriate tools and
equipment to complete their tasks, and maintaining our physical plant is a very necessary component of
managing the food bank:
We were very grateful to receive $7500 from the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern
Alberta to purchase new warehouse hamper shelving, utility carts and stainless steel tables for our
workstations.
We completed an inventory and evaluation of our insurance coverage to ensure proper coverage for our
contents and building.
We partnered with the Downtown Lethbridge BRZ Clean Sweep Program to increase revenues realized
through our cardboard recycling program.
Food Stocks Thanks to the generosity of our community, we are pleased to report that we were able to meet the needs of the
additional families that accessed our Christmas programs, however, we finished the year with almost half of the
inventory we had on site at the beginning of the year. Thanks to the generosity from our community and
participation in food share programs, more than 800,000 pounds of food were accepted and distributed to
families in need – an average of almost 67,000 pounds per month.
Food stocks come from a
variety of sources, including
community donations and
food drives, and through our
participation in Food Share
Programs through the
Provincial and National Food
Bank Associations, as well as
through cooperation with
other area food banks.
In 2015, Interfaith Food Bank
spent over $101,000 on food
stocks and supplies for our
programs and services, while
$2,004,182 of in-kind
support was provided to
food bank clients.
Facility We were pleased again to avoid any renovations or major building improvements in 2015, but continued to
maintain our facility and to work to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for our programs and services.
We had a few HVAC repairs, did some painting to freshen up the vestibule, administration area and client
intake, and kept up with the regular maintenance of our major equipment such as the forklift, cardboard baler,
elevating lift, and walk-in coolers.
We bid farewell to West Wind Gymnastics in October as
they vacated the front half of our building in favor of a
larger location as they have increased their membership
and programming, and had been exploring options for
expanding their space for quite some time. We currently
have the space listed for lease through Avison Young and
will continue to explore our options for the use of the
space in 2016. At the end of their tenancy, we replaced
several broken windows, had the space commercially
cleaned and prepared for painting the space to tidy it up
after the many years that the tenants had occupied the
space.
Project Protein Lack of adequate protein has been identified by all food banks in
Southern Alberta. Meat is often expensive and donations of fresh or
frozen meat are rare. Food banks work to ensure families accessing
services are provided with adequate quantities of protein.
In 2014 we received approval and funding from the Community
Initiatives Program offered through Alberta Culture to develop a
Pilot Project that will encourage donors from the livestock industry
to donate animals for processing into ground beef and pork for food
bank families. We continued to work on this project through 2015,
and received approval for extension of the project until the end of
February 2016.
Our part-time project coordinator developed the program model and
communications plan for the pilot project, which we hope to pass
along to other communities upon completion. Project Protein
involved four participating abattoirs and 6 participating food banks.
MNP continued with the program as a Platinum Sponsor until
September, and we continue to recruit livestock donations and
financial contributions to help us sustain the program once the initial
grant funding is depleted.
Project Protein has increased the amount of meat coming into the food bank by means of donation. Through
2015, over 23,500 pounds of ground beef and pork had been received by participating food banks. We
processed 53 beef and 27 pork (for a total of 80 animals), and issued $105,660 in charitable tax receipts to
donors for Project Protein in 2015. The program will continue in 2016 with plans to expend all grant funding by
February 28, 2016.
Industry has been very supportive of the initiative, and we participated with many industry conferences,
conventions and trade shows. Promotional materials were developed, and we have been able to show success in
the program model – animals are being donated, processed and meat distributed to food banks, and tax receipts
are being generated to the producers for their donations. Donors chose which participating food bank would
benefit from their livestock donations, and each participating food bank will continue to receive ground meat
generated through the program.
Our focus has now turned to the sustainability of the program, and we will continue to explore funding options
to ensure future processing funds.
Interfaith Learning Garden We experienced our third growing season after building
the garden in 2013. We started seedlings inside in early
spring, hardened them off in the greenhouse and got plants
into beds at the end of May with help from a willing crew
from ATB Financial. We were able to get the majority of
the planting done in one day, and also built the new
pumpkin patch for our first shot at growing giant
pumpkins.
ADM Cares and Food Banks Canada Community Gardens
Fund provided support for biology, equipment, and
programming costs in addition to the support we received
from private sponsors and community donors. We are also
fortunate to have received great support from our local
gardening centres, almost all of whom provided discounts
and donations to our garden project. We are also very
pleased to have had the support of Lethbridge Sprinkler
Systems over the years, who expanded the automatic
watering system into our Found Objects Garden this year.
Primarily, learning opportunities in the garden are
provided to the participants of the Interfaith Chinook
Country Kitchen programs. Garden produce is grown for
use in our cooking classes as well as for distribution to
food bank clients. We also offer interested community
groups, schools and clubs the opportunity to visit the
garden as a learning experience.
Several groups signed out Learn & Grow Activity Totes which include curriculum-connected lesson plans,
materials, and tools necessary for educators and volunteers to lead interactive educational activities about water,
soil, insects, and many other garden topics. Activity Totes are a free resource, and can be used on-site at
Interfaith Learning Garden, or signed out to be used of-site.
We were able to expose many community members to our garden over the season, and hosted several
workshops and tours, and even participated with Art in The Park, where parents and preschoolers participated in
outdoor activities such as painting and drawing with sidewalk chalk. We celebrated National Garden Day,
included gardening activities as part of our annual Pancake Breakfast, and hosted two separate Movie in the
Garden events over the summer. We also offered outdoor cooking classes using our forno ovens and BBQs!
We are particularly proud of the two giant pumpkins we were able to grow for the Make A Wish Foundation
Pumpkin Festival at Greenhaven Garden Centre in the fall, the largest weighing 133 pounds!
Adult Kitchen Programs
THE INTERFAITH CHINOOK COUNTRY KITCHEN The Interfaith Chinook Country Kitchen (TICCK) is offered through a unique
partnership between Interfaith Food Bank Society of Lethbridge, and our local
Family Centre, which is a Parent Link Centre and a wealth of information for
parents/caregivers. Together, we have been providing free cooking sessions
intended to teach participants to cook healthy meals on a limited budget since
2005. Participants come for free, cook for free and take home the food they
make. Children of participants are cared for by an early childhood educator
while parents learn to cook under the guidance of a kitchen coordinator. We
also offer youth programming geared towards encouraging youth to acquire a
healthy relationship with food.
Kitchen programs benefit not only those who attend, but all of the residents of
that household, as the entire family gets to enjoy food prepared in cooking
classes. We also expose participants to the Interfaith Learning Garden, and
were able to incorporate outdoor cooking and garden activities into
programming this year as well.
Thanks to funding through the Mission: Kitchen Fund offered by Food
Banks Canada and Unilever, The Interfaith Chinook Country Kitchen On-
the Go was designed in 2015 to teach agency staff, teachers, day home
providers and group leaders to replicate TICCK kitchen programming
geared to their specific client base. The expanded program includes Train
the Trainer workshops that include a practical, hands on session and an
informative presentation on planning and preparing for programs. Once
participants have completed the two part workshop they are eligible to sign
out the On-The Go supplies for use at their own facilities or may make
arrangements for use of our kitchen on-sire. Workshops can be scheduled
to suit participant schedules, daytime, evening or weekend.
Through our partnership with Family Centre, we were also
able to expand the number of classes we offer for our
existing programs to include evening and weekend classes.
Participants have responded well to the new classes and
content, and we have been able to increase the number of
people attending cooking classes.
THANK YOU 2015 SPONSORS Formal sponsorships are a great way for local business and organizations to show their support for food bank
programs and services. We would like to thank all of our 2015 Sponsors, and hope they will continue their
support in years to come.
FUTURE GOALS AND PROJECTS
With renovations finally complete, and the development of the learning garden now finished, our Board of
Directors have already begun planning for future activities as we work to respond to the needs of our community
and to protect the assets we’ve built for Interfaith Food Bank.
Continued work on Strategic Plan We participated in Strategic Planning in 2013 and have identified several projects that we’ll be working on in
2014 – 2016, such as the development of an operational safety plan and further work on policy development.
We are also working now to identify strategies to work towards financial sustainability, such as enhancing our
donor recognition policies, planned giving program and legacy funding. As with all of our activities, we will
need to garner support from the community, recruit willing volunteers, and secure resources for our future goals
and projects. The plan will also be updated in 2016 as Directors review and assess our progress and identify our
goals for 2017-2019.
Expanded Kitchen Programs – Mobile Kitchen & Evening and Weekend Classes The success of The Interfaith Chinook County Kitchen Programs has resulted in many outside groups
expressing interest in using our kitchen. We will continue to recruit outside agencies, schools, groups and day
homes to participate with our Kitchen-On-The-Go and Train the Trainer Workshops with the hope of enabling
them to recreate our programming with their clientele. We will also continue to offer evening and weekend
classes, as well as to encourage other groups to use our facility for programming outside of our regular operating
hours to expose more community members to the benefits of cooking healthy foods on a limited budget.
Options for use of vacant facility space We will continue to explore potential partnerships and/or initiatives to make the best use of the space in our
facility that had previously been leased to West Wind Gymnastics. It is our goal to ensure that use of the space
fits well within our mandate, and also assists with offsetting our operational costs. The space will remain listed
for lease with Avison Young until such time as we determine the right use for the space and/or a suitable tenant.
Future Fund-raising Activities As always, we will need to recruit community support for both upcoming projects, and for daily operations. We
hope to develop new, exciting opportunities for fund-raising that keep our message forefront and fresh in the
eyes of our supporters.
SUMMARY 2015 was a year of change for Interfaith Food Bank as we responded to needs in our community linked to yet
another economic downturn. We are so fortunate to have a diversified economy in our city, and to have
weathered the storm a bit better than some other communities in Alberta where we saw unemployment take its
toll due to the continued fall in the price of oil. Alberta experienced the highest increase in food bank usage in
2015, and here at Interfaith, we started to see our numbers of families requesting assistance increase during the
last half of the year.
Like many charitable organizations struggling to raise sufficient funds to maintain programs and services, we
have adapted to include several new and creative fund-raising strategies. Throughout 2015, we were fortunate
to have had enough community support to provide for emergency food needs in our community.
Volunteers contributed almost 11,900 hours of service to governance, operational, administrative and fund-
raising activities this year — equivalent to more than 6.8 full-time positions! We are extremely grateful to our
supporters—be it through food, funds or free time—community efforts have allowed us to help 1500-1700
individuals each and every month, almost half of whom are children.
Our partnerships and cohesive working relationships with other community agencies also continue to be
essential to our success. We acknowledge that by working together, we can stretch our resources further and
limit duplication of services. We look forward to continuing our working relationship with Family Centre for
the continued operation of The Interfaith Chinook Country Kitchen; the many agencies involved with Ready Set
Go Back to School Fair for our 1st Day at School Program again in 2016; and with Lethbridge Food Bank and
Salvation Army for our annual Christmas Programs.
With 12,900 square feet of additional space now at our disposal, we will work to ensure that the use of our
facility best meets the needs of our organization, and ultimately the families we serve. We are excited to see
what the new year will bring for the use of the space previously leased to tenants. We are confident that these
changes will have long term benefits on our society, and to the families that we serve. We are also confident
that our community will continue to support our cause by hosting events, raising funds, and collecting food on
our behalf.
We are excited to see our kitchen and garden programs expanding to see more people learning about healthy,
nutritious foods and active lifestyles. Project Protein was successful in proving a model to recruit animals from
the livestock industries, and we are seeing more families accessing ground meat and ensuring proper protein in
their diets. Participation as a Good Food Organization will allow us to further develop our services to promote
dignity, constant learning and development, and a respectful environment where community members can come
together to learn about all things food.
It has been a real blessing to have accomplished so many major goals in such a short period of time. It is thanks
to a cohesive Board of Directors, our dedicated team of employees and generous spirit of our volunteers that
we’re able to do what we do. Creating a family of donors and volunteers, and maintaining strong relationships
with those that support us is essential for Interfaith Food Bank, and thanks to good planning and a lot of helping
hands, we’ve been able to make great progress in 2015, despite the economic climate, and we look forward to
continuing our work in 2016.
Thanks to all who made it happen, and who continue to join with us in our fight against hunger!
Respectfully Submitted,
Danielle McIntyre, Executive Director
Interfaith Food Bank Society of Lethbridge