A Calgary charity that helps families who don’t qualify for traditional food banks is having to find a new home by the end of October.
Last year Reaching Families provided $5 million in food and every-day essentials to families in and around Calgary, working out of a handful of small spaces around the city.
But come November, the group has to vacate its northeast location since the current non-profit organization that shares the space is growing.
Charlotte Gilmer, communication and fundraising coordinator for Reaching Families, said she’s been searching since late last year, with no success.
“We have nowhere to go,” Gilmer said. “If we have nowhere to go, then a lot of families are going to be turned away and even some of our clients are going to have to go without.”
The charity is looking for 3,000 to 10,000 square feet of space, but since it’s a volunteer organization, paying rent for that much space isn’t possible.
Instead, the registered charity could offer tax incentives for anyone willing to donate space.
“It would be giving back,” Gilmer said. “We’re building a plan for the future that will help to impact Calgary in a huge way.”
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Hitting close to home
Several of those who donate their time to Reaching Families have been in the same position as the families they help, which drives home the need to keep the program going.
“As a mom who’s actually gone through this myself, if it wasn’t for this program, my family wouldn’t have eaten,” Gilmer said.
Melissa Gagnier, the warehouse manager, said she’s also been in a situation where a program like Reaching Families would have been useful.
“It’s not always ideal going to the food bank,” Gagnier said. “I had four kids. There were two adults and both of us were out of work. We went to the food bank in Ontario … but we got enough for maybe two or three days. And they expected it to last for a month.”
Gagnier said she draws on that experience as she builds hampers of other families. “We give a little bit more than most.”
Gagnier said a new location would help speed up the process of filling hampers, making it easier to help more families in and around Calgary
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