Edmonton’s Food Bank wants to ‘bridge some of the gaps’ at this year’s Heritage Festival

The number of people relying on Edmonton's Food Bank has almost doubled in three years, so the organization is hoping Edmontonians will come through.

Edmonton Food Bank’s biggest drive of the summer is happening this weekend at the Heritage Festival, rolling in at a time when the number of people relying on food donations has almost doubled in three years.

• Get the latest Edmonton updates right to your inbox

Last year, Naim Alkhatib was one of those people in need.

He came to Canada with his family in June 2024 under a program for people affected by the conflict in Gaza.

Despite having a sister with Canadian citizenship, Alkhatib still came here with no resources and little to no understanding of the services available in the country.

“We were privileged to be saved from the conflict back home and live in peace and dignity, (and) starting a new life,” he said.

That new life began with him using Edmonton’s Food Bank and other services while he and his family scraped by. He was living with seven other family members that he couldn’t support while searching for work.

“We needed the service … I’ve been privileged to use and access much-needed food for my family,” he said.

It wasn’t long before the Food Bank’s executive director, Marjorie Bencz, offered him a volunteer position that would later turn into a job.

“Volunteering here … allowed me to gain the experience, communicate with the community, integrate with the community and help others,” Alkhatib said.

He said speaking both Arabic and English as a Palestinian helped him better connect with newcomers because he had also “encountered this and felt it at the human level.”

The need

Bencz said Edmonton’s Food Bank is in a “very challenging place” between their food supply and an ever-increasing demand, and they’re trying to increase capacity in their operations.

Between 2020 and 2024, the number of people Edmonton’s Food Bank has served jumped from 21,385 to 41,697 – that’s just with the hamper program through their pantry.

“We feel like we’re always asking for help, but the reality is, we’re always being asked for help as well,” she said.

That being said, Bencz acknowledges that with monetary donations, they’ve been able to “bridge some of the gaps that we’re seeing.”

“People have been stepping up in remarkable ways,” she said.

This weekend, the Food Bank and workers like Alkhatib will be at their usual spot at the Edmonton Heritage Festival, accepting on-site donations of non-perishable food or money.

Bencz said she hopes people will think about the “all-year-round” need for food and help replenish their pantry so they can continue to serve the community.

She knows the cost of living has hit everybody hard. Edmonton’s Food Bank, she said, is just “helping people day-to-day get by.”

“One can of soup means that someone’s going to have a meal, and that’s what we want to have happen,” she said.

“I’m really honoured and privileged to be a client first, who was served as needed, who was in very bad need for food and his family,” said Alkhatib.

“And then to be well-integrated in the society, I’m very thankful for [the Food Bank] providing me a new, safe, dignified life here in Canada.”

More information about Edmonton’s Food Bank at the festival can be found online.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson