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Edmonton’s latest Vital Signs report shows that almost 22% of children lived in food insecure houses in Edmonton in 2021, up from almost 18% in 2011.
"This comes as no surprise,” said Laurie Fagan, executive director of Norwood Child and Family Resource Centre. “Many of our families struggled with the prices of food in the past, however with inflation over the past two years we are seeing even more people in need of healthy, low-cost food resources.”
According to the Statistics Canada guidelines for low income, 98% of the families Norwood Centre serves are low income.
“We are aware that the majority of our families, if not all, struggle with food insecurity,” Fagan said.
At Norwood Centre we provide our participants with snacks and meals at our daily programs, at drop-in and parent education programs, as well as at our special events. Frozen meals are available in case of emergencies, and we have a list of food resources that we refer families to.
So far in 2023, we have served more than 28,000 meals and snacks.
“Studies show that every $1 invested in early years yields $13 to our economy. Healthy food is an integral part of that,” Fagan said.
Norwood Child and Family Resource Centre has been a community hub for children and families since 1963. Norwood Centre responds to a wide variety of family circumstances and provides free, culturally diverse programming throughout Edmonton. We nurture trusting relationships, empower families to access resources and services, and support optimal child development. Norwood Centre is a safe gathering place that brings individuals together with a focus on prevention and early intervention to support healthy, well-functioning families.
Apps to help save money:
FlashFood-discounted groceries close to their “best before” date
Flipp- search grocery items to see which store has the best prices, flip through flyers and can save point cards all in one place
TooGoodToGo- An app that fights food waste from restaurants and connects you to discount food items
Checkout51-digital coupon clipping
RedFlagDeals- a Canadian made app to find the best deals
Other food resources:
WeCan Food Basket Society- WecCan food basket buys groceries in bulk providing the opportunity for families and individuals purchase nutritious food at an affordable price once a month
Edmonton Food Bank bread runs- free bread on various days at different locations around the city:
edmontonsfoodbank.com/documents/202/2023_April_Bread_Runs_VvRM8Jx.pdf
Discount Grocery Stores:
Giant Tiger
H&W
Check out the Edmonton Foodbank’s website for further resources: edmontonsfoodbank.com/need-help/workshops-collectives/