Ten years.
One vision.
Endless possibilities.
A message from our founders
Dear friends:
As we mark our first decade of empowering food-insecure children and families across Calgary, we’re filled with immense gratitude and pride for everyone who has joined our unique and winding journey. What began as a traditional response to hunger quickly transformed into a dignified and evidence-based response to food insecurity. As we settle into 2025, we’re energized with an enduring confidence after our strongest year of community building yet.
To say the least, 2024 was a game-changer. Thanks to you, our grocery gift card program reached the largest annual number of kids to-date – over 41,500 – since we shifted to our new service model in April 2020. We continue to target our support to kids and parents who face a multitude of life stressors beyond food insecurity, such as poor mental health, disabilities, injuries, and chronic conditions. Your donations reached thousands of families facing sudden unemployment, crippling rent increases, and unexpected housing crises to help them reduce and prevent the serious childhood harms caused by food insecurity and a lack of income.
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As we chart our future path, we’re thrilled to be in a healthy position for significant and much-needed growth in 2025. This past year, we laid the groundwork with university researchers who can help us identify and measure more of the undiscovered value and benefits of our program. We established a new partnership with McMan Central to extend our reach into multiple rural communities across central Alberta where families have access to significantly less resources. These new insights and opportunities will allow I Can for Kids to empower even more food-insecure kids with dignity and choice.
To our donors, funders, agency partners, champions, and supporters: your trust and belief in our evolution and mission have been the cornerstone of our success. As we embark on the next chapter, we remain committed to sparking more innovation, sharing new evidence widely, and building stronger communities. Together, we’re creating a future where all children and families feel empowered by support that truly addresses their needs and honours their lived realities.
Here’s to another decade of lifechanging impact!
With heartfelt appreciation,
|
Bobbi Turko |
Sutton Garner |
When you give to I Can for Kids, you’re fueling innovation, creating meaningful change, and helping to build strong, resilient communities where more children and families can thrive.
Thanks to your commitment and generosity, we targeted:
$715,850 in grocery gift cards to reach
41,747 food-insecure kids living in
200+ communities across Calgary and area.
agency partners
The collaborators who enable us to target our support to families in greatest need.
programs
The pathways we follow to build trust with food-insecure families.
%
surge in demand
The escalating need for dignity and choice among food-insecure households.
I am writing to extend my heartfelt thanks. Your grocery gift cards have helped many families with food and other necessities and have enhanced the overall success and wellbeing of many of our students.
We are incredibly grateful for your support and commitment to our school. We are truly fortunate to have donors who believe in the importance of education and invest in the future of our students and community.
Carla, Grade 1 Teacher, Connaught School
Beyond the numbers
While compelling stats offer a quick snapshot of our progress, we know that our true impact emerges from the resilient voices of the families who access our program.
Get to know
the kids you championed
Grocery gift cards act as a safety net to keep kids in school
One thing I really noticed this year was how many times clients said to me “I have nothing for school lunches, so my kids haven’t been going to school.” Parents don’t want to get into trouble for not sending a lunch, but then their kids miss out and interrupt their learning. I regularly had parents asking if I had cards so they could buy some groceries for school lunches. The children in one family had very poor attendance at school, and not having food was the main factor that led to this problem.
Pat, Calgary Housing Company
Get to know
the parents you inspired
A single dad bravely navigates the challenges of a new beginning
I am a single dad with three children. I have been dealing with a separation from my wife and a transition to a new home. I have had to purchase furniture for the home and two of my kids had birthdays in the past two months. The grocery gift cards from I Can for Kids help me drastically to maintain food in the house for the children’s school lunches. I have nothing but huge gratitude for everyone who has helped me out in these situations. I do thank you so much for your contributions and your support for struggling families such as mine.
Dedicated dad raising three great kids
Get to know the
families you empowered
Grocery gift cards bridge cultures and bolster futures
An immigrant couple with five children recently arrived in Canada, feeling overwhelmed and uncertain about how to adapt to their new life. The challenges of learning a new language, navigating an unfamiliar culture, and coping with Canada’s harsh winters made their transition especially difficult. Our multilingual staff worked closely with the family and they enrolled in several of our programs. They also began receiving monthly grocery gift cards from I Can for Kids so they could afford essentials like milk, meat, and vegetables. These gift cards have become a vital resource for families like this, especially for women and children living in shelters. We extend our heartfelt gratitude for your generosity and support. Your kindness transforms lives, providing hope and stability to those who need it most.
Wedad, Umoja
Discover the burdens you
helped ease
A resilient mom reclaims her family’s future with a new beginning
A mother of two children was preparing to leave our second-stage domestic violence shelter and move into her own rental home. However, the financial burden was overwhelming. Between covering her damage deposit, first month’s rent, and other moving expenses, this mom had little to no money left for essentials, including food. With the grocery gift card program, she was able to purchase fresh groceries to prepare meals for her family during this critical transition. Instead of starting this new chapter under stress and uncertainty, the gift cards gave her a sense of relief, hope, and stability during what could have been an extremely difficult time. The I Can for Kids program provided more than just food – it gave this family a chance to start fresh with dignity.
Juan Pablo, The Brenda Strafford Foundation
How often families needed support
It comes as no surprise that in 2024, all our recipients lacked the wherewithal to meet their basic needs due to the extreme impact of unbeatable inflation with no reprieve in sight.
30% of families needed support once per month due to the major financial setback of unemployment caused by language barriers, disabilities, mental health struggles, or chronic conditions
20% of families reached out for support every other month due to crippling expenses related to rent increases, divorce, or high-cost medications to treat health conditions
25% of families received support 2-4 times per year to maintain stable housing, pay for childcare, or cover moving expenses and damage deposits after a sudden eviction
25% of families needed support just once per year due to an unexpected financial shock such as high dental bills, costly health treatments, or economic abuse from a partner
A dad had to step away from his job when his turn came up on an extensive waitlist to receive surgery for health issues.
His Employment Insurance ran out and Alberta Works did not respond quickly to the family’s application. Their rent and utility bills began to pile up and we referred them to social agencies and the food bank for assistance. There was a minimum three-week wait for the food bank, so we provided I Can for Kids grocery gift cards to immediately help this family from having to choose between food or keeping their home and utilities.
Claire, Calgary Housing
Collaborative impact
Mental health
Financial resilience
Affordable housing
Family supports
I Can for Kids is highly committed to collaboration with agencies from all sectors who share our mission to alleviate food insecurity.
As more and more organizations recognize the considerable advantages of grocery gift cards over traditional food programs, we hope to cultivate strategic collaboration across the charitable sector. We’re committed to fostering an integrated, unified, and efficient network of support that truly meets the needs of food-insecure households in our city and beyond.
From deep roots grow new branches
Thanks to our amazing donors, iCAN now has capacity to partner with an even greater diversity of agencies to reach parents and children in greatest need.
In 2025, we’ll expand our reach and impact through collaboration with additional community agencies in Calgary. These new partnerships will enable us to target even more grocery gift cards to households in Calgary and the surrounding area.
We’ve also established a unique partnership with McMan Central made possible by generous funding from Nutrien. The dedicated staff at McMan will extend our program to food-insecure families and children living in or near several isolated or rural communities across central Alberta.
Our partnership with I Can for Kids represents a significant step forward in supporting families facing food insecurity in rural central Alberta.
By working together, we’re able to bring the innovative grocery gift card model to communities where traditional support can often be more difficult. This collaboration strengthens our ability to address the unique challenges of rural life, fostering resilience and a sense of belonging for those we serve. We’re excited to continue this meaningful partnership and expand its impact in the years to come.
Jen, McMan Central
What’s ahead
In 2025, we have ambitious goals for continued growth and diversification of our response to food insecurity in Alberta! Your ongoing support is an essential ingredient in our ability to:
Empower more families
We’ll target more grocery gift cards to a greater number of food-insecure families across Calgary and Alberta.
Diversify our reach
We’re teaming up with new health, education, and social service agencies to extend our program to more communities.
Scale our success
We’ll implement our evidence-based approach in new locations around the province to spread the innovation and make a greater impact.
Engage in research
We’ll partner with university researchers to conduct new studies on the impact and value of our grocery gift card model.
Why you give
Our generous donors are the lifeblood of our grocery gift card program. Although each of you chooses to give for very personal reasons, it’s clear that we all share something in common: we’re motivated by a profound desire to foster positive change in the lives of children and families grappling with food insecurity. You contribute because you understand that food means so much more to a child than filling their stomach.
In your own words:
We share I Can for Kids’ passion for making it easier for everyone to access healthy food in our communities.
We’re just as thrilled today as we were in 2015 to be the first partner to join them in their admirable mission. Congratulations to Sutton and the entire team on achieving this milestone and positively impacting the lives of thousands of Calgarians over a whole decade. Keep up the great work for Western Canadians – it makes a big difference!
Darrel Jones, President, Save-On-Foods parent company, the Pattison Food Group
Our radio stations in Calgary have been partnering with Bobbi, Sutton, and the outstanding team at I Can for Kids for the past 10 years.
The work they do to empower families in Calgary to feed themselves has never been more needed and witnessing their dedication makes our staff proud to be part of their efforts. This is truly a group of people that knows how to roll up their sleeves and put in the effort to help tackle food insecurity in our community.
Jamie Wall, General Manager, 101.5 TODAY Radio | Wild 95.3
We’re proud to support I Can for Kids not only for their effectiveness and efficiency in feeding kids and families, but for their ingenuity, leadership, and innovation in the sector.
Their research on the impact of grocery gift cards will help not only the people they serve, but countless others in the future through other organizations influenced by their findings. Kol HaKavod (Congratulations)!
Izzy Waxman, Executive Director, MAZON Canada
The Grocery Foundation is honoured to support I Can for Kids and the children who benefit from your commitment and efforts supporting their health and academic success.
We are kindred organizations in our efforts to find efficiencies, promote collaboration and inspiration across partners so that we can optimize our impact.
Shaun McKenna, Executive Director, The Grocery Foundation
The Hunter Family Foundation is proud to support I Can for Kids’ innovative grocery gift card model, a groundbreaking approach to tackling food insecurity among children in Calgary.
When a child is facing food insecurity in their family it affects all aspects of the family and the child’s wellbeing – emotionally, physically and mentally. I Can for Kids’ model not only provides immediate relief but also fosters long-term dignity and well-being for Calgary’s youth by empowering families with the freedom to choose nutritious foods that meet their unique needs. The Hunter Family Foundation believes Calgary’s youth should have a healthy community in which to thrive.
Hunter Family Foundation
Closing reflections:
Ten years of pioneering a more dignified approach
To everyone who has joined us on our journey over the past ten years – our donors, agency partners, and volunteers – you have been the driving force behind extraordinary change for food-insecure children and families. Your unwavering support has transformed lives and strengthened communities. As we reflect on another remarkable year, we are filled with gratitude and inspired by the promise of the path ahead, and we look forward to continuing this incredible work with you by our side!