Our Blog
Empowered by community support: a mother’s story of strength
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.
Empowered by community support: a mother’s story of strength
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.
Empowering families: how our program works
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.
iCAN mixes it up at Macquarie’s 8th annual charity fundraiser
I Can for Kids (iCAN) was thrilled to be one of three charities supported at Macquarie’s 8th annual charity fundraiser—a night that truly raised the bar!
Our program offers an experience surrounded in humanity
A father shares his experiences and perspectives of our grocery gift card program after more than a year of accessing support.
Building resilience not dependence
Our recipients and agency partners collaborate with us to maximize the number of families who benefit from our program.
The essentials not the extras: how grocery gift cards influence the spending patterns of food-insecure families
In this blog, we explore how food-insecure populations make the most of their limited household budgets.
Broadening our horizons: how we empower families to tackle multiple life challenges related to food insecurity
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.
Inclusive responses to food insecurity: ensuring everyone has a place at the table
Our expansive network of agency partners enhances our inclusive approach by maximizing our ability to reach diverse households across Calgary.
Bridging the gap: supporting Indigenous families facing food insecurity
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.
Advocating for targeted policies that address root causes
I Can for Kids advocates for evidence-based and effective income policies such as the proposed Groceries and Essentials Benefit.