Burger it forward: Edmonton restaurants join campaign to beef up food bank donations

Canada Beef is aiming to reduce growing food insecurity with its fourth annual Burger it Forward campaign.

Restaurants across the city are joining a cross-Canada push to grill up donations for local food banks.

Canada Beef created the Burger It Forward mission four years ago as a way to address food insecurity nationwide. This year, 357 restaurants across the country are coming up with feature burgers, available to buy between Feb. 1 and Feb. 28.

For each burger sold, Canada Beef will donate $1 to a food bank in a restaurant’s respective area. Local restaurants participating in the program are encouraged to match that donation.

That’s precisely what Three Vikings Pub on 124 Street is doing, and has been doing, for the last four years.

“The food bank is just such a great cause, right? With the cost of living these days, there are so many people who are in need,” said Three Vikings co-owner and general manager, Stephanie Moore, on Thursday.

“To do some sort of promotion to help them out is sort of a no-brainer.”

Food Banks Canada data shows one in four Canadians are living in a food-insecure household, and children make up 33 per cent of those relying on food banks. Nearly 2.2 million people visited food banks across the nation in the latest available data from March 2025.

More locally, Edmonton’s Food Bank reported its highest-ever numbers in 43 years of operation in August 2025. More than 47,000 people are being served every month, the non-profit has said.

Moore said staff look forward to coming up with a new burger for a good cause each year. This month’s will be a mushroom swiss burger, which she believes is a “fan favourite.”

The meat for each restaurant’s featured burger is provided by both Canada Beef and provincial producers like Alberta Beef.

Edmonton pubs and restaurants offering up a feature burger for the cause in February include Highlevel Diner, Jack’s Burger Shack and Rockin’ Robyn’s Diner.

There are 103 locations across Alberta participating in the Burger it Forward campaign.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Brandon Lynch