Community Kitchen Program

Our Vision:

Working cooperatively with individuals, families and communities to facilitate and/or enable initiatives that reduce hunger. To enhance the capacity of participants to acquire skills in preparing affordable meals, providing fresh fruits & vegetables and developing sound economic management practices.

Overarching Mission:

Working with communities to help people learn to feed themselves in an economical, nutritious & sustainable manner, providing food in emergency situations; and creating a supportive network for participants of the programs. Maintaining the highest standards of compassion, integrity and respect, the Community Kitchen Program seeks to achieve its purpose through active participation in a dynamic community of practice. Our aim is to overcome barriers of isolation, poverty, cultural and racial, as we assist individuals and families navigate through financial hardships in a compassionate supportive manner. We focus on building self-esteem, providing practical knowledge and relevant experience.

The Community Kitchen Program of Calgary operates a self-empowering model to address the needs of marginalized Calagarians. We have continually evolved over the years to meet the changing needs of our city, in response to our deepening awareness and understanding of the complex issues of poverty and hunger. We teach participants how to prepare nutritious meals, budget their finances -- making their income stretch by preparing cost effective, healthy meals, as well as providing a means to access nutritious food. The programs we have built help adult, children and families to eat healthier, at a lower cost, learning how to cut the grocery bills and most importantly how to keep these healthy habits throughout their lifetime. We are not just giving a 'hand-out', but a 'hand-up'! Children are the future, which is why we teach our next generation about nutrition, smart grocery shopping, how to read a food label, safety with knives, cross contamination, and even proper etiquette. These children will obtain the information and hopefully keep it with them as they grow, influencing the following generations and in turn, lowering the hunger population in this city.