Farm Credit Canada Boosts Funding Of Food Security Initiative

High River Food Connections has received a $1,000 donation from Farm Credit Canada (FCC).

Program Coordinator, Sarah Bruinsma, says their food security initiative runs about 12 community programs.

"I know that FCC really supports food and security, so that fact that they're supporting us was just great!"

Bruinsma says their most well known program is their Food Rescue, where volunteers collect good food going to be thrown out at the grocery store and distribute it at the High River Salvation Army.

"We've rescued over 20,000 pounds of food in our first four months, and we get items like milk, yogurt, meat, some cheese, items that you don't necessarily get in a hamper."

She says people are then welcome to take one to two bags of free groceries.

A recent study from Canada's largest food rescue organization, Second Harvest, shows nearly 60 percent of food produced in Canada is lost and wasted annually.

The group says lost refers to the discarding of food that occurs from production through to processing, and wasted means the discarding of food during distribution, marketing to consumers through retail or food service, and in the home.

Bruinsma says their other programs include Soup for the Soul, which connects isolated seniors and individuals with a volunteer to visit over a bowl of soup in their home, and a speaker series.