1 in 5 kids lives in a food-insecure home with too little income to buy enough to eat.

These children live in your neighbourhood, go to school with your kids, and often hide their struggles from everyone. 

Food insecurity is a term that describes the experience of an individual or household who lacks the income to buy enough food. In 2015, I Can for Kids (iCAN) began providing healthy food to food-insecure children during the summer months while school meal programs were on hiatus. At that time, 1 in 6 kids in Calgary lived in a home struggling with food insecurity. A new report on the rates of food insecurity across Canada shows that the ratio of children who live in a food-insecure household has now increased to 1 in 5. Based on the 2021 metropolitan census, this alarming statistic translates to more than 61,000 kids in Calgary who face food insecurity.

However, iCAN remains confident that our efficient and evidence-based approach makes it easy for everyone to support kids and families in need through our year-round grocery gift card program. 

Many people ask us what childhood food insecurity looks like. First, its negative effects can change from day to day depending on fluctuations in household finances. Second, its harmful impacts grow more intense as the level of severity of food insecurity shifts from marginal to moderate to severe. Unfortunately, Alberta is home to the highest proportion of severely food-insecure households across all ten provinces.  

Nearly all food-insecure kids deal with persistent worry or anxiety about whether their family will run out of food. They must often eat the same inexpensive and low-nutrient foods every day for long periods of time while money is tight. Some need to reduce the size of snacks and meals because their caregivers unexpectedly lost a job or cannot secure full-time work at a sufficient wage. Others go an entire day or more without any food when the household budget becomes so constrained that their parents must choose to pay rent instead of buying groceries. 

The new report on food insecurity also confirms much of what we have learned through our own research with the University of Calgary. First, Alberta has the highest rate of food insecurity among working people across Canada. Many of the parents we support have one or more low-wage jobs, but employment isn’t enough to ensure they can make ends meet. Second, households who identify as Black, Arabic, Indigenous, and Southeast Asian are at higher risk of food insecurity. Our 2021 impact evaluation uncovered that most of our gift card recipients belong to visible minority populations. Parents in these households often face greater challenges securing employment or receiving recognition for valuable skills acquired through foreign training, experience, and education.

Researchers and advocates in Canada recommend income-based policies and interventions that improve financial wellbeing to alleviate and prevent food insecurity. That’s why iCAN transitioned from providing food to kids to offering grocery gift cards to families: we want to help address the root cause of food insecurity. Our grocery gift card program represents a vital opportunity to shift the charitable response in support of effective income-based solutions that prevent food insecurity. 

Our next step is to expand our reach until poverty reduction strategies take full effect. This requires the ongoing and valued support of current and new third-party fundraisers, individual and corporate donors, and skilled volunteers. 

To join iCAN’s growing list of champions, check out the ways you can get involved or donate. 

To learn more about I Can for Kids and their unique approach to childhood food insecurity, visit www.icanforkids.ca