Calgary Food Bank surging with produce following Eagle Lake harvest

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Thousands of pounds of vegetables will be distributed to Albertans in need thanks to the efforts of a group of volunteers and a local business that donated the space to make the project possible. 

TransAlta retirees have been growing vegetables and donating them to the Calgary Food Bank since 1999, through an initiative called Projects Organized with Energetic Retirees (POWER). 

Initially, the project only operated out of an AltaLink property southwest of Chestermere, but recently launched a second site adjacent to Eagle Lake. This is the second year that the new garden has been utilized to produce more vegetables for the project.

According to POWER chair, Fred Ritter, the Eagle Lake garden will have produced an estimated 50,000 pounds of vegetables this season. 

The AltaLink garden was also recently harvested and produced just over 17,000 pounds of produce— an increase of roughly 12 per cent over last year, according to Ritter.

“I think we’re going to set a record in terms of production and we have a phenomenal turnout… It’s a great day for volunteering and we have a lot of enthusiastic volunteers here,” he said.

“The group of volunteers here and the Trans Alta retirees have been doing this for over 20 years and all the produce gets donated to the Calgary Food Bank. I’m just thrilled at what’s happening today and the level of support we have.”

Eagle Lake Professional Landscaping Supply president, Eric Heuver, said over 100 volunteers came out to harvest from the donated land — more than double the size of the team seen last year.

“[It’s] really kind of a neat way to give back especially in these times and it’s fun to be part of. Horticulture and growing things is a passion for me (and) this is kind of gardening on steroids,” he said.

“We love being part of things like this and we’re involved in the community… I don’t know what is a better fit for us than something like this.”

Heuver also noted the average age of the volunteers present was roughly 70 years old, something he said was inspiring to see and be around. 

“I didn’t even realize that they had the ability to handle this much food and the scale of it just blows me away. It’s a neat thing to be a part of and learn about.”

The Calgary Food Bank will have distributed the produce to similar food banks across the province upon receiving the harvest.