 In 2015, Bobbi Turko and her 11-year old daughter Sutton were watching a story on Good Morning America about kids who relied on school breakfast and lunch programs for food. The kids were going hungry over the summer. “It was something we never thought about. Sutton wondered if Calgary kids were hungry over the holidays – and if they were, what could be done about it,” Bobbi says.Food Insecurity a Hidden Problem for Kids in the SummerThe mother daughter duo soon discovered that summer food insecurity was very much a Calgary issue. To help, they launched I Can for Kids, and distributed 4000 simple, non-perishable food packs over the summer. Word spread and I Can for Kids grew. By 2019, more than 24,000 food packs were distributed. I Can for Kids shared seven varieties of food packs, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables, and bulk items, such as jars of peanut butter (4,000 peanut butter jars were distributed in 2019). For 2020, “we were on track for 30,000 food packs,” Bobbi says. “Then COVID hit.”
Relationships, Food Distribution and AdaptationI Can for Kids works with a network of front-line agency partners across Calgary to distribute food. “This is the most efficient and effective way we have found to reach children,” Bobbi says. “The relationships agency partners have with the families means they know the challenges and level of support needed.”
Summer Support with the Calgary PoliceDuring the summer, I Can for Kids also works with the Calgary Police Service. Officers carry non-perishable food packs in cruisers. When they come across situations where people need food, from domestic calls to homeless youth, officers are able to provide immediate support.
When COVID hit, Bobbi and her team rallied agency partners and determined that “the most efficient way to get food into the bellies of kids was to provide grocery gift cards.” Cards “give people dignity,” Bobbi says. “They are in a grocery store, just like everybody else, choosing foods they know and understand that meets their dietary requirements.”
Grocery Gift Card StatsAs of Tuesday, June 30, I Can for Kids:
This summer, families can pick up not only grocery gift cards, but also fresh fruits and vegetables to supplement the grocery gift cards.
Grace a Summer Food Distribution Point for Connaught School FamiliesGrace teamed up with I Can for Kids to help support Connaught School families over the summer. Pre-pandemic, Grace helped to supply food and lunches for Connaught students and knew kids would go hungry in the summer without support. From March to June, Connaught distributed I Can for Kids grocery gift cards – now Grace has become the summer distribution point.
Virtual Stampede Party Video in Benefit of I Can for KidsGrace has created a Virtual Stampede Party video. The purpose of the video is to share some Stampede culture, aim to bring some fun into summer – and to help relieve hunger for kids and their families in Calgary. The video features Grace members and community organization representatives.
Community Organization ParticipantsMultiple groups that Grace teams up with took part in the video including Connaught School, Never Too Late, English Language Learners, and I Can for Kids (Sutton) are taking part – as well as organizations within the I Can for Kids circle, such as the Calgary Police and Firefighters.
Donate to I Can for Kids (Save-On-Foods matches online donations dollar for dollar)If you are in a position to do so, please consider donating the cost of Stampede admission to I Can for Kids. (Admission was $18 for those between 13 and 64 in 2019, and $9 for seniors and children). Save On Foods is matching contributions dollar for dollar – immediately doubling your contribution! Learn about I Can for Kids here.
Join the #GracePancakeFlip Challenge: keep the flip going!Watch the Virtual Stampede Party VideoWatch, share and like the Virtual Stampede Party video! (It’s recorded and shareable so you can enjoy it when you like – and share some Stampede culture with friends, family and neighbours!) Expect to see some familiar faces, meet some new community connections, and learn a thing or two about how to make buttermilk pancakes and do the “Slap Leather” line dance! Yahoo!
|
Virtual Stampede Video in the Media
- Global TV National: Friday, July 3: Stampede spirit forging ahead in Calgary despite COVID-19
- Calgary Herald: Sunday, July 5: Stampede show must go on — and Calgarians are making that happen
- Globe and Mail: Sunday, July 5: The Calgary Stampede is mostly deserted due to COVID-19, but the show must go on
- Global TV Calgary: Tuesday, July 7…coming soon on 5 and 6 o’clock news
- Grace Church News Newsletter: Summer Issue
- I Can for Kids Newsletter: Monday, July 6: The pancake flip was featured in the newsletter (+1000 folks are signed up), featuring the #GracePancakeFlip challenge!
