We continually aspire to expand our grocery gift card program to support a more diverse range of families who face the hardships of food insecurity. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce a new partnership with Mosaic Primary Care Network (PCN). This enables us to reach more vulnerable children and families in Calgary through the public healthcare system.
Mosaic PCN brings together primary care providers, health professionals, and multi-disciplinary teams to provide comprehensive medical care to over 465,000 families in northeast and southeast Calgary. Their vision is to achieve excellence in primary healthcare outcomes within the diverse neighbourhoods they serve. Among this diverse population are many newcomers to Canada. This demographic faces a higher likelihood of becoming food insecure while grappling with the economic and cultural challenges of settling in a new country.
“Food insecurity is more common, and less visible, than you might think,” says Bobbi Turko, iCAN’s Executive Director. “By partnering with Mosaic PCN’s social work services, we’re bringing a new layer of critical support for families who may be silently struggling with food insecurity along with other health and life challenges.”
Families access iCAN’s program through experienced social workers who provide support for a range of difficult life circumstances.
“We serve a complex population that is very diverse in terms of culture, language, and needs. Some face financial and employment barriers and struggle to provide reliable healthy meals for their families. Many food programs have increased eligibility criteria or decreased funding, making them harder to access. iCAN’s program enables us to provide faster, more dignified, support for families that require urgent access to food.”
LI-LIAN LIM, BEHAVIOURAL HEALTH MANAGER, MOSAIC PCN
Our fourth collaboration within the public healthcare system
This is our fourth collaboration with programs in the public healthcare system. Last year, we began working with three pre- and post-natal programs through Primary Care Alberta Public Health.
“We’re enabling food-insecure families to access grocery gift cards directly through healthcare touchpoints,” says Bobbi. “These partnerships demonstrate how our program integrates seamlessly into existing health infrastructure and makes it easier for families to quickly access the support they need in a time of crisis. We are grateful for the partners who have opened doors for us in the public system – and we will continue to champion the broader adoption of this model to take food insecurity off the table for more Albertans.”
