Page 30 - ECF-LIA-Nov-DEC-2023-F2

LEGACY IN ACTION
30
Fighting food
insecurity
THROUGH
community
connection
Every month, hundreds of Edmonton families turn to WECAN Food
Basket Society for help. Since 1993, WECAN has been helping people with a
limited or fixed income make the most of their grocery budgets.
“WECAN was founded to combat what was called, ‘Empty Fridge
Syndrome’,” explains Joshua Topliffe, program manager at WECAN.
“Basically the phenomenon was noticed that people didn’t have enough
food to get them through the month, with the last two weeks of the month in
particular [being] the most difficult before payday.”
In response, WECAN was developed to help Edmontonians access items
like fresh produce and frozen meat items through every week of the year.
Members of the society prepay for groceries at the beginning of each
month — when they already have some food in the fridge, and money in the
bank. As money gets tighter towards the end of the month, they’re then able
to pick up prepaid items from WECAN. The organization buys fresh food in
bulk, and then sells it to members for 15 to 30 per cent less than what they’d
pay if buying the same items from the grocery store.
“When folks are living paycheque to paycheque, or are underemployed or
unemployed, that amount of money is quite significant,” says Topliffe.
WECAN is just one piece of the puzzle working to solve food security
issues in Edmonton. Its services are designed to add to the work of other
community groups, such as community leagues, food banks and family
resource centres.
“We have a role in the food security ecosystem and we really view it in
a collaborative way,” says Topliffe. “Hopefully by using different sources,
different partners, we can alleviate food insecurity, together.”
Edmonton Community Foundation (ECF) is one of the partners that has
helped WECAN give families and individuals access to nutritious food. Since
2013, ECF has supported WECAN’s efforts, first with a three-year grant as
part of a Vital Signs initiative. In more recent years, WECAN also received
funding through ECF’s COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund, as well as a grant
to develop and revamp its online ordering capacity.
In that time, Topliffe says the need for food support in the Edmonton area
has only grown.
“There has been more demand, and although it’s not in the same way that
free food services have experienced an increase in demand, it has definitely
gone up,” he says. Over the past decade, WECAN has seen an increase of
about 200 orders per month.
Through the years, to meet growing demand, WECAN has expanded
its geographic reach. Today, there are 22
WECAN depots in the Edmonton area,
including some of its busiest locations in
neighbouring communities like Barrhead,
Tofield and Westlock.
The way that WECAN operates has
also evolved. When it first began serving
Edmontonians, WECAN managed all of the
volunteer teams needed to run each pickup
depot. But as demand grew, that model
became unsustainable. So in the spirit of
WECAN’s commitment to collaboration,
it’s gradually shifted to a partnership model,
working with other community groups who
manage the volunteers for each location.
In a way, this shift has also established
WECAN as a hub for connection.
“Some of our members, and even some
of our volunteers literally don’t interact with
anyone in person outside of our depot pickup
days. So it’s also a source of community for a
lot of people,” says Topliffe.
Looking forward, Topliffe sees more
growth and evolution in WECAN’s future. He
knows its continued success is only possible
if it continues to work alongside other
organizations who are committed to helping
Edmontonians in need.
“We’re going to continue the partnership
model that we’ve engaged in. We want to be
more involved in the food security movement,
and to try and collaborate more to alleviate
food insecurity,” he says.
”WECAN as an organization wouldn’t
exist without collaboration, whether it’s our
volunteers or our partner organizations. They
really are the lifeblood of the organization,
and what we’re able to do.”
THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS,
WECAN FOOD BASKET SOCIETY WORKS
TO HELP ALLEVIATE FOOD INSECURITY
BY LISA CATTERALL