Fundraiser supporting food banks across Alberta begins

The Alberta Motor Association Community Foundation is launching its annual campaign to help address growing food insecurity across the province.

An annual food drive and fundraiser by the Alberta Motor Association Community Foundation to support food banks throughout the province kicked off Thursday.

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Since it was launched in 2019, the “Fill our Fleet” campaign has raised $1.5 million for Alberta food banks.

This year, AMA is collecting monetary donations online, cash and food donations at its centres, and “top-up” donations.

“(Customers) have the opportunity to round up and … those dollars will go directly to the food banks within their communities,” explained the foundation’s executive director, Karina Dixon, in an interview on Thursday.

AMA is matching up to $100,000 in donations.

According to Food Banks Canada, the need for food bank services has doubled over the last six years. On average, food banks across the country counted 2.1 million visits a month this year.

“All of our organizations across the province are seeing record highs right now. Edmonton’s Food Bank has seen an increase between 2020 and 2025 of 106 per cent just in our hamper programs. Right now, we’re feeding over 43,000 people a month through the hamper programs, and about 37 per cent are children,” said Tamisan Bencz-Knight, Edmonton’s Food Bank’s manager of strategic relationships and partnerships.

“We are dealing with some interesting times. It’s been very difficult.”

The fundraiser runs until Dec. 31.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Galen McDougall