Calgary councillors pitch in with effort to support Food Bank

Councillors' Challenge on at the food bank Calgary city councillors are competing in a challenge for good this holiday season. Mason DePatie has details.

For the third time, city councillors will be going head-to-head to see who can fill more food hampers for the Calgary Food Bank's annual food drive.

Called the Councillors' Challenge, teams must compete to fill as many emergency hampers as possible within two 15-minute heats.

The event is part of a larger two-week food drive battle between the wards, known as the Mayor's Christmas Food Drive.

The winning team of the challenge will receive a head start in the food drive.

Last year, the food drive raised $546,137 for the food bank.

Ward 5 and Coun. Raj Dhaliwal was crowned the back-to-back champion for raising the most, receiving bragging rights and the "Golden Lettuce Award."

The real winner, though, was the food bank, which said it's struggling to keep up with a dramatic increase in demand. Officials said the food bank is delivering about 750 emergency hampers a day.

Each councillor has a dedicated webpage for the two-week-long campaign to raise funds and list the donation drop-off locations in their ward.

The food will be picked up on Dec. 10.

According to the Calgary Food Bank's website, there is a high demand for assistance, and they are currently booking three weeks in advance.

An appointment must be made to receive a food hamper. Applicants can call 403-253-2055 to speak with a volunteer or book online.

Supports are provided in multiple different languages including Ukrainian, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Farsi and Tagalog.

Staff are required to ask for personal information such as basic income and expenses and hampers can only be booked if they are available.

Clients are only allowed to receive a hamper once every 10 days.

Anyone who requires support beyond food is asked to contact 211 Alberta.