We used to give food to hungry kids… now we empower families to feed themselves.

I Can for Kids (iCAN) operates a grocery gift card program that has created a major shift in how efficiently and effectively our society can help food-insecure children and families access enough healthy food. And our work is based on quality research.

For over 40 years, Canada has tried to solve food insecurity by donating food to vulnerable children, families, and households. Yet study after study has shown that this approach is fraught with unintended negative consequences. It dictates what people eat without giving them choice or control over their diet. Most importantly, it doesn’t even begin to address the underlying cause: insufficient financial resources. Our income-based approach empowers families with a more dignified way to meet their basic needs and reduce their overall stress levels. That’s why we stopped giving food. We chose to take a bold step forward.  

The success of our model is built on longstanding partnerships with dozens of frontline social service agencies in Calgary and central Alberta who have direct relationships with food-insecure families. We established an infrastructure and network that enables us to target tens of thousands of children and families at highest risk. We support children of ALL ages throughout their developing years.

Our Research & Evaluation

We continually do our homework. We partnered with the University of Calgary to conduct research on how our new grocery gift card program impacts children and families living with food insecurity. We collect comprehensive feedback and insights from our frontline agency partners through an annual program evaluation. We also interview and survey our recipients to learn more about their experiences, perspectives, and recommendations. 

100% of our recipients and agency partners prefer the grocery gift card model over a traditional food hamper program. Our approach is much easier to deliver, it prevents food waste, and it reduces negative impacts on the environment by eliminating the need for bulk food storage, refrigeration, and transportation.

Our new program is simply more inclusive, flexible, and environmentally responsible.

Our Impact

In difficult economic times, every dollar creates positive impact. iCAN invests 100% of donations to empower food-insecure families to purchase the foods they need. We cover operating expenses through our annual budget to ensure donors can directly reach the children who need support the most.

In 2024, iCAN distributed $715,850 in grocery gift cards to empower thousands of families to fuel more than 41,500 children in more than 200 communities across Calgary and the surrounding area. These kids lived in households at higher risk for food insecurity, such as immigrant, refugee, Indigenous, visible minority, and single-parent families. About 30% of the children who receive support through our program struggle with a mental health issue, while 16% live with a physical disability and 25% have a neurological disability.

To learn more about the impact of our program, please visit Our Impact page.