Brush Up! Alberta

The Cause

Often if families are struggling to put food on the table, they are struggling to purchase basic health necessities. "Brush Up! Alberta" provides oral health kits (toothpaste, toothbrush, and floss) to 103 Albertan Food Banks.

The Alberta Dental Foundation organizes the ‘Brush Up! Alberta’ campaign annually during April, Oral Health month. In this initiative, 103 food banks across Alberta receive oral hygiene kits. Each kit contains a toothpaste tube, a toothbrush, and floss, which goes directly to those in need. We would like to invite Field Law to be a part of this initiative through a $30,000 contribution, allowing us to come closer to hitting our goal of distributing 50,000 health kits across the province in 2023.

Who Will it Benefit?

Approximately 25% of Albertans don't receive dental care on a regular basis. About 1/3 of Canadians reported their quality of life is affected by oral health related issues. Less than 50% of Canada's most vulnerable people have visited a dentist in the past year. The Alberta Dental Foundation strives to improve access to dental care for all underserved and low-income Albertans. This includes children who cannot eat due to tooth pain, adults who cannot smile during a job interview, and families who cannot afford dental care.

Many of Alberta’s most in-need get access to preventative oral hygiene supplies through the ‘Brush Up! Alberta’ initiative. The Albertans we serve through this initiative are highlighted by the quote below:
"The Alberta Dental Foundation has been a fantastic partner of Food Banks Alberta over the last 2 years, keeping the shelves of food banks around Alberta stocked with oral hygiene supplies. Most people think "food" when they think of food banks, but if you are struggling to put food on the table, you will also struggle to purchase other basic necessities. 'Brush Up! Alberta' has ensured that those in need have had access to oral hygiene necessities that would otherwise not have the means to do so." - Food Banks Alberta

By accessing basic oral hygiene, we are not only reducing the risk of prevalent chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases, but are (literally) giving Albertans a reason to smile. Oral health care products are in high demand at food banks across Alberta but are rarely donated. The food banks have to purchase the products to distribute to those in need. By purchasing these oral health kits, it allows the food banks to focus on delivering food and programing to people in need, and it signals to the community that people care about them beyond subsistence; their community wants to see them thriving and smiling.