Former clients of the recently shuttered Calgary Veterans Food Bank will soon have access to similar support services through the Calgary Food Bank after The Royal Canadian Legion reached a funding agreement.
“We know that change can be challenging and our prime objective is to always ensure the most effective use of resources and to provide the greatest support possible to veterans” said Chris Strong, president of The Royal Canadian Legion, Alberta-NWT Command, in a statement released Thursday. “In making these changes, it was critical for us to work with an organization that can meet these requirements, particularly with regards to our veterans who accessed the former Calgary Veteran’s Food Bank.”
“After discussions with various stakeholders, we approached the Calgary Food Bank to discuss the continuation of offering a program of emergency food support for veterans. They stepped up to the plate and we are excited about this relationship because it will provide improved services for our veterans going forward.”
According to The Royal Canadian Legion, the arrangement will allow the organization to ‘direct funds more effectively to services and supports that address the diverse needs of all veterans in our community’ while meeting the requirements the Calgary Branches Poppy Fund outlines for funding distribution.
The two organizations will collaborate in the coming weeks to establish a food and community support referral program specifically for veterans.
“From what we understand historically, there is between 100 and 200 veterans who are accessing the services of the Veterans Food Bank,” explained James McAra, CEO of the Calgary Food Bank. “We don’t anticipate that that will put a huge demand change on this organization. Our greater concern is making sure that we’re able to respond to those veterans in a timely manner through the partnership with the Calgary Legion.”
“The Legion has service officers that are excellent at connecting veterans with the services that are available to them,” added McAra. “Often times the veterans are unaware or unable to access those services for many reasons.”
The Calgary Veterans Food Bank was scheduled to close in January 2019 when the lease on the building expires but clients encountered closed signs and locked doors on September 21 with directions to visit their local Royal Canadian Legion branch for assistance.
Several groups are currently working on plans to establish a separate food bank specifically for veterans.
