Family Grocery Card Program – Moving Forward Together
Working alongside families to learn and move forward together
The FGC – Moving forward together is a program designed to reduce food insecurity, reduce stress, and increase feelings of dignity of participating families.
We know that food insecurity doesn’t look the same for every family. It can affect daily decisions, increase stress and worry and make it harder to plan ahead.
We’re working alongside families to provide more flexible, dignified access to food through grocery cards – recognizing that families know best what they need. We also learn directly from their experiences to help shape better systems of support.
How it works
The Family Grocery Card Program provides monthly grocery cards to families with school-aged children. This approach supports dignity and choice, allowing families to select food that reflects their cultural preferences, dietary needs, and daily realities.
This is a closed, referral-based program. This means that families are connected to it through schools recommendation.
Beyond food access, the program creates space for ongoing support, connection and engagement through community conversations, events and various wrap-around supports. We work to create spaces where participants can share their experiences and help inform how support systems can evolve.
What we’re learning and why it matters
We are learning directly from families about their experiences navigating food insecurity and the emergency food system in Calgary. Their stories are helping us better understand the gaps that exist and how support can be improved.
We use storytelling to share these insights and advocate for changes in the emergency food assistance sector in Calgary, working toward systems that better reflect the families’ needs.
Moving Forward Together
Food insecurity affects thousands of kids and families right here in Calgary, but behind every statistic are real stories and lived experiences.
Moving Forward Together is a visual journey that captures everyday moments from families in BB4CK’s grocery card program. It is woven together with the powerful oral stories of two mothers. Their voices remind us of the strength, resilience, and humanity behind every experience with food insecurity and the importance of building a caring community in action.