High River’s FoodConnexx program rescued a record 292,466 pounds of food in 2025, a 73 percent jump from the 168,770 pounds rescued the year before, even as the organization behind it now struggles to keep its doors open.
Run by Wild Rose Community Connections, the food rescue effort works with local grocery stores and restaurants to divert edible food from landfills. In 2025, volunteers distributed 3,015 hampers for families in the Foothills region, with 757 of those delivered to people who are housebound, isolated, or without a ride.
Executive director Marianne Dickson said the program served 1,326 individuals last year, including about 450 new registrants. But despite that growth, the numbers don’t tell the whole story. The program costs approximately $225,000 a year to run, and by early 2026, a funding squeeze forced major cutbacks.
On February 22, 2026, FoodConnexx scrapped its twice-weekly Tuesday/Thursday hamper delivery model and switched to a market-style pickup on Sundays and Mondays only. The change came after the organization closed its satellite office in Claresholm in September 2025, leaving about 500 people in that area without a local food security option.
Since 2018, the program has rescued more than 500,000 pounds of food. But keeping trucks on the road is expensive. Gas cards to cover volunteer delivery cost $7,200 a year, and vehicle operations run another $12,000 annually. The group raised $23,000 in the first three months of 2026 toward a $60,000 fundraising goal, and local supporters like the High River Lions Club chipped in $3,000 to help.
“We’re grateful for every dollar,” Dickson said, “but the need keeps growing faster than our funding.”
