Thanks to you, as I Can for Kids (iCAN) marks 10 years of empowering food-insecure children and families, we are filled with gratitude, pride, and renewed energy for the work ahead. What began as a conventional response to gaps in services for vulnerable children during the summer months has transformed into an innovative and evidence-based program that provides families dignified and immediate relief through grocery gift cards.
On a sunny fall morning, Lily*, a single parent of three, shared her story, one that embodied both love for her children and an unimaginable hardship. In 2022, Lily was diagnosed with stage 4 terminal cancer and was given only a few years to live. Despite the devastating diagnosis, her courage shines through. Her story is one of pain, struggle, and resilience.
When I Can for Kids (iCAN) initiated our grocery gift card program in 2020, we soon recognized how the income-based nature of our approach led to a greater sense of resilience, trust, and community belonging among families struggling with food insecurity. We also realized that continuing our cross-sector collaboration was key to maximizing our impact. This approach allowed our grassroots charity to reach vulnerable children through a cohesive and centralized response to food insecurity across Calgary and the surrounding area.
A father shares his experiences and perspectives of our grocery gift card program after more than a year of accessing support.
Our recipients and agency partners collaborate with us to maximize the number of families who benefit from our program.
In this blog, we explore how food-insecure populations make the most of their limited household budgets.
As we increase our capacity over time, I Can for Kids (iCAN) aims to expand our grocery gift card program by partnering with more and more frontline agencies from our long (and growing) wait list.
Our expansive network of agency partners enhances our inclusive approach by maximizing our ability to reach diverse households across Calgary.
I Can for Kids (iCAN) witnesses a much higher rate of food insecurity among Indigenous families than we would expect based on the mix of different cultures living in Calgary. In 2023, our agency partners estimated that 33% of all the households who accessed our program identified as First Nations, Metis, or Inuit. In contrast, the most recent census data for Alberta shows that only 3% of all Calgarians identified as Indigenous.