One quarter of Alberta households are receiving food support from a food bank or community kitchen according to Minister of Seniors, Community, and Social Services Jason Nixon.
Nixon announced $5 million worth of funding for food security, $105 million for Family and Community Support Services, and $20 million for the school nutrition program, as part of Budget 2025.
“This funding will help food banks Alberta strengthen their bulk purchase programs that ensure food banks and smaller communities have the resources that they need; create funding streams to help food banks purchase important equipment, like fridges and freezers; cover unexpected shortfalls and core operation costs; help food banks provide culturally appropriate food and respond to the needs of underserviced communities and so much more,” said Nixon.
Shawna Bissel, the executive director for Food Banks Alberta said as the price of groceries has gone up, the donations received by Food Banks Alberta have gone down, although she noted “they’ve still sustained better than other provinces.”
According to the website for Food Banks Alberta, visits increased by 94.1 per cent in 2023.
More than 30 per cent increase in Cold Lake food bank users in first quarter of 2025
In Cold Lake, 960 new clients visited the food bank in 2024. According to numbers provided in an e-mailed statement by Abiola Owolabi, the executive director of the Cold Lake Food Bank, that’s a 37 per cent increase in 2024.
“This increase is timely and crucial given the rising inflation and over 30% first-time users registering in the first quarter of 2025,” said Owolabi, noting in February alone the Cold Lake Food Bank had 67 new registrations.
During the announcement, Nixon praised a community kitchen program in Calgary focused on teaching people how to shop and prepare healthy food, likening it to the “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, but teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
“This model helps individuals and families eat healthier at lower costs in the long term by teaching them how to prepare cost effective nutrient meals to stretch their food budget further and lowers the grocery bills by placing an emphasis on practical skills,” said Nixon.
But Owolabi disagreed the issue their clients face is one of efficient use of existing resources.
“The primary issue in the Cold Lake region is the lack of resources, not inefficiency. The scarce job market and increasing population mean that other expenses (rent, utilities, etc.) compete for limited funds,” said Owolabi.
When asked for the specific funding amounts for food banks in the Lakeland region, Press Secretary for the Ministry of Seniors, Community, and Social Services Ashley Stevenson said “the specific allocation of resources is still being determined.”
Food support is available at food banks across the Lakeland Region.
- St. Paul and District Food Bank
- Cold Lake Food Bank
- Bonnyville Native Friendship Centre
- Stone Soup Food Centre Lac La Biche
