Hinton, Alberta residents can now pick up free surplus food every Friday evening thanks to a program from the Hinton Food Bank Association aimed at keeping good food out of the landfill while helping a growing number of households facing tight budgets.
The Food Recovery Friday runs from 5 to 5:30 p.m. at 124 Market St. and is open to everyone, with no registration or proof of need required. The food bank encourages all community members to attend and take home items that local grocers would otherwise throw away.
The program comes as the food bank reports serving 110 to 120 families each week, roughly 400 people, up from about 100 families per week, approximately 260 people, in 2024. The increase follows a period of rising food prices and higher borrowing costs since late 2022. In all of 2024, the food bank helped 11,299 people, serving 5,105 families, including 8,342 adults and 3,434 children.
Last year, the recovery effort rescued 44,000 kilograms of food, and the food bank expects to divert 56,000 kilograms from the landfill by the end of 2025. Operations manager Kate Willis says the program also saves the organization $30,000 to $40,000 a year on meat and bread purchases, creating a financial buffer that supports other services.
Food bank usage has been climbing across Alberta, with visits up 134.4 per cent since 2019. Locally, more than five per cent of Hinton residents rely on the food bank at some point to meet their needs. The Friday pickup is designed to make fresh items like milk, vegetables, and fruit more accessible to those who might otherwise go without.
Food recovery co-ordinator Melody Gaboury helped bring the concept to Hinton after running a similar program in Jasper before the 2024 wildfires. She now travels from Jasper each week to manage the Friday event, supported by a Canadian Red Cross grant. Longtime volunteer Randy Wheeler handles weekly pickup routes from Freson Bros. and Safeway, while Freson Bros. manager Paul Lovsin says the store is proud to contribute after serving the community for 70 years.
The program is backed by a range of donors and sponsors, including Unifor Local 855, Peyto Exploration, the Town of Hinton, Walmart Canada, CN, and the Red Cross. Food Banks Alberta also provides support as part of its work with 113 member food banks across the province.
The food bank invites anyone interested to stop by on Friday evenings and help make sure good food gets used rather than wasted.
