As Farmers Market season kicks off in Lethbridge, the community is gearing up to support those in need this season.
Market vendors will be donating produce to local food banks through FCC’s Drive Away Hunger program. According to Lethbridge and District Exhibition officials, last year, vendors at the Lethbridge Farmers’ Market donated 4,604 pounds of food to local food banks, which, according to Drive Away Hunger, is equivalent to $16,000 in donations.
Director, Community Engagement, Lethbridge and District Exhibition Sydney Koppe says the food collected will be split between not just the Interfaith Food Bank and Lethbridge Food Bank, but as of this year will also be split between the University of Lethbridge’s Food for Thought Program and the Lethbridge Polytechnic Students’ Association. She explains the post-secondary students who attend these schools are an important part of the community.
“We wanted to show our support for their students and the important work being done by the on-campus food programs,” Koppe says. “Lethbridge & District Exhibition has collected food donations from Lethbridge Farmers’ Market vendors for many years, but the partnership with Drive Away Hunger formalizes the process and ensures a maximum amount of available food is delivered to help clients of the food banks and food security programs across our community.”
Vice Provost of Students at the University of Lethbridge Kathleen Massey says the collaboration with the University’s Food for Thought program will go a long way in making sure there is nutrias food for twenty per cent of students at the University who regularly struggle with access to nutritious healthy food.
“This collaboration with the University’s Food for Thought program will go a long way toward making nutritious food available to the twenty percent of students at the University who regularly struggle with access to sufficient, affordable, and healthy food,” Massey says.
Lethbridge Polytechnic Students’ Association Services Coordinator Angela Fretts-Waters adds the Students Association is excited to partner with the Lethbridge Farmers’ Market and the FCC’s Drive Away Hunger program.
“Last academic year the LPSA Student Food Bank provided 388 food hampers to students. This is almost double what was given out in previous years. With the current prices of fresh produce, students do not always have access to those fresh products. This program will help to support our students beyond what is already in place on campus,” Fretts-Waters says.
The Drive Away Hunger Program started in 2023 in Lethbridge and in the first two years brought in $38,000 worth of donations for the food banks. The donations are made up of leftover food products from the Saturday Farmers’ Market.
The campaign is a country-wide initiative that is led by the agriculture and food industry, with a focus on feeding as many Canadians as possible. Last year, throughout the country 514 million meals were provided to those in need across Canada.
