Good Food 2 Go

The Cause

Jasper Place Wellness Centre (JPWC) and its Food4Good division are piloting the “Good Food 2 Go” program, which will provide access to healthy, affordable food while developing food skills and engaging people in meaningful activity at home. This program will offer low-cost food boxes for purchase and delivery in the west end, along with online educational content focusing on nutrition, kitchen skills, and health promotion. Multiple food box options will be available each week, for example, a “Mixed Produce” box, a “Pantry Staples” box, or a “Full Kitchen Stock Up” box. We’ll also offer low-cost meal assembly kits (similar to more expensive services like HelloFresh or Chef’s Plate), which contain all ingredients needed to make a dish, along with the recipe and access to online videos leading people in making the recipe at home. Through retail relationships and donations, we are able to offer food items at 30-50% lower than grocery store prices. We will be creating an online and phone ordering option, as well as a digital platform for educational content. We anticipate offering online cooking workshops, tips & resources relevant to food box contents, and interactive ways to connect with community members around food through live or participatory activities. With this multidisciplinary approach, we can address not only food insecurity, but also health, education, and social isolation.

As 1 of 4 recognized Community Health Centres (CHC) in Alberta, we integrate primary health care with health promotion programs, illness prevention programs, community health initiatives, and social services focused on housing, food security, and other social determinants of health. This reduces silos and makes services more accessible to community members. Our “Good Food 2 Go” service will support current patients of JPWC’s medical clinic and others in the community. These participants will be referred to the service by our on-site CHC physicians and pharmacist, through partner agencies (such as Boys & Girls Club, Parent Link, Housing First and select schools), or through a self-referral process. Our clients experience the many socioeconomic barriers to being healthy and following healthcare recommendations. With the “Good Food 2 Go” program, our healthcare staff can discuss eating habits and set health goals with patients knowing that they’ll have the resources to be successful at home.

Who Will it Benefit?

This service will engage marginalized and low-income populations in west Edmonton who have been affected by COVID-19, with a particular focus on those with chronic health conditions. In the Jasper Place area neighbourhoods, rates of chronic disease and mental health issues are comparatively higher than the rest of the city, and residents depend on food charity resources 3.5 times more than city averages. As one of four recognized Community Health Centres (CHC) in Alberta, JPWC integrates primary health care with health promotion programs, illness prevention programs, community health initiatives and social services focused on housing, food security, and other social determinants of health. This reduces silos and makes services more accessible to community members. Our “Good Food 2 Go” service will support current patients of JPWC’s medical clinic and others in the community. These participants will be referred to the service by our on-site CHC physicians and pharmacist, through partner agencies (such as Boys & Girls Club, Parent Link, Housing First and select schools), or through a self-referral process. Delivery will be available for those living in T5P, T5R, and T5M postal codes.

Many of the vulnerable community members that JPWC serves have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of income loss, school & childcare closures, isolation, and interruptions in social support services. We see that food insecurity remains an issue for community members, shown by the steady number of new participants the JPWC’s emergency “Good Food Hamper” program is receiving each week. The JPWC medical clinic currently has about 1,100 patients, and 85% of them are food insecure. As social distancing measures continue to be in effect long term, we anticipate many low-wage jobs and childcare options to be impacted for months to come. With this in mind, we would like to transition our emergency food security efforts into a holistic, recovery-focused food program that can continue to support vulnerable community members whose health, income, and mental wellness have been impacted by COVID-19.