FCSS to offer Good Food boxes next year

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Strathmore Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) will once again be offering monthly Good Food boxes in an effort to make eating healthy more affordable for locals.

The boxes are sourced from the Calgary-based organization, Community Kitchens, which aims to make fresh produce more affordable than buying from a grocery store. 

Community Kitchens itself makes an effort to source as much produce as it can locally, and when that becomes impossible (such as for bananas or other tropical items), wholesalers will be employed. 

Tammy Sieben, administrative assistant with Strathmore FCSS, said the boxes have been made locally available every year on a monthly basis, averaging roughly 50 orders per month. 

“When COVID-19 first started, we were doing up to 300 or 400 boxes a month. Prior to COVID-19, the average was always around 50 or 60 boxes,” she explained. “People can pick them up from town hall starting in January. We will be distributing them from here in the council chambers.”

For those who are interested in picking up a Good Food box, they will simply have to call the FCSS and pre-order them. Each month, there is a cut-off date when orders will no longer be accepted.

For January, the order date is the third, therefore any orders must be made prior to then. Pickup day for all orders will be on Jan. 13. 

Order cut off days, as well as pickup days are listed online via the Strathmore FCSS website.

“The weights of the boxes are approximate, but on average, the small is 25 to 30 pounds, the medium is 35 to 40 pounds, and the largest is 45 to 50 pounds,” said Sieben. “When COVID-19 hit, we offered the boxes at quite reduced rates, so at that point we were up to something like three or 400 boxes a month. Now that prices are back to normal, we have gone back down on average to around 50 a month, which is a pretty steady rate.”

Each month, the boxes are filled with a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, often including common cooking staples such as carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and onions. 

Fruits and vegetables contained in the boxes may include options such as squash, avocados, cucumbers, apples and oranges. The boxes also contain seasonal items based on what is regularly more available based on the time of year.

Sieben added the prices of the small, medium, and large boxes, respectively, are $27, $32, and $37. 

For those who decide to order a box for a given month, they are asked to pick up their order on the designated pickup day between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m.

If there are any boxes that are not claimed and another pickup arrangement is not made, the box will be donated to a local support organization such as the overnight or crisis shelters.