Edmonton charities look back at their challenges and achievements in 2024
Posted December 28, 2024 11:16 am.
With 2024 coming to a close, CityNews heads down to some charities in Edmonton to learn what challenges they faced throughout the year, goals they achieved, and the future that lies ahead in 2025.
From a vibrant and lively environment to just an empty facility, Edmonton’s Food Bank volunteers and staff are just having their rest day after being busy collecting, sorting, and packing hampers for their food bank clients.
“It’s relaxing, it does give you that moment where you can go ‘now you can take a step back and see what we actually have to do,” said Tamisan Bencz-Knight, with Edmonton’s Food Bank.
Edmonton’s Food Bank has a relentless increase of demand throughout the year, with an average of 41,000 clients monthly. With their highest record in October of 47,000, Bencz-Knight says it doesn’t see the record plateau.
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“Until we actually plateau with those numbers. And they’re still going up, we won’t have an idea of how long it’s gonna be for us to recover. Food banks across the country will be the first to feel any economic downturn, any challenging times from the community and they’re going to be the last to recover,” said Bencz-Knight.
But Bencz-Knight says that their greatest achievement as a non-profit is the amount of time volunteers spend to help feed the community in need.
Not far from the food bank, just eight minutes away from the building is Hope Mission, which just recently opened its west-end shelter facility. Tim Pasma says, is one of their greatest achievement.
“Everyone in those shelters would provide health services, would provide social support whether that’s housing support, connections to the treatment recovery … all sorts of supports embedded on-site to ultimately help people exit the shelter into a better situation,” said Pasma.
Hope Mission has since a rising number of vulnerable Edmontonians going to shelters. According to Pasma, about 8,500 Edmontonians were at the shelter in 2023, now, it is averaging around 9,000 people so far, and that doesn’t include rescue van mission and food services.
“It’s definitely a concern for us, it’s something that we know that we need to continually evolve in services to meet the need that we see at our doors,” explained Pasma.
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Back in Edmonton’s Food Bank, as they head into the new year, their festive campaign is still in full swing to raise $4.5 million and 300,000 kilograms of food until January 10, the food bank says they might have some difficult conversations if they do not reach the goal.
“Maybe we have to have conversations about the number of times somebody can come see us or I don’t know, we’re gonna just sit down and kinda dig down and get dirty and see what we can do,” said Bencz-Knight.
As for Hope Mission, they will keep making more improvements to its facilities and operations to meet the increasing needs in Edmonton.
“And our goal is to continue to be ahead of that and be able to support people that are ultimately in those vulnerable positions that need support,” said Pasma.
