Bow Valley Food Alliance

06/03/2026

🌿 National Indigenous Peoples Day is approaching and we’re kicking things off with gratitude, community, and opportunities to connect.

Over the coming weeks, the Bow Valley Food Alliance will be sharing a number of events, gatherings, and ways to engage through our Food is Our Teacher work alongside incredible community partners: bowvalleygardencentre anythinggrowsgarden Îyâhrhe Nakoda Food Bank Experience Howl Studio 209: Dawn Saunders Dahl pauwfoundation Wim & Nancy Pauw Foundation Rotary Club of Canmore Calgary Foundation. Stay tuned to our page as we highlight upcoming opportunities to learn, grow relationships, celebrate, and support Indigenous food sovereignty across the Bow Valley and beyond.

We look forward to sharing upcoming gatherings, garden days, community meals, conversations, and celebrations leading up to National Indigenous Peoples Day.

✨ Stay tuned, there are many meaningful ways to engage, support, and learn together.

05/28/2026

Today, on , we’re standing with Right To Food as Jasmine Ramze Rezaee, Director of Policy & Community Action, presents recommendations to the federal Standing Committee on Finance for Budget 2026.

With food insecurity affecting nearly 10 million people in Canada, bold action is needed. Food insecurity is not a food problem, it is an income and affordability crisis that requires policy solutions grounded in dignity, equity, and the recognition of food as a human right.

These recommendations, endorsed by 180 organizations across the country, reflect a growing call for meaningful action to address poverty and hunger in Canada.

Read the full recommendations here: https://righttofood.ca/a-national-call-to-act-on-food-insecurity-in-budget-2026/

Today, on World Hunger Day, Right To Food’s Director, Policy and Community Action, Jasmine Ramze Rezaee, is in Ottawa presenting Right To Food’s recommendations to the government’s Standing Committee on Finance for the 2026 federal budget.

With food insecurity at historic levels in Canada, affecting nearly 10 million people, the next federal budget must include bold action to address poverty and hunger.

Right To Food’s recommendations were endorsed by 180 organizations across the country, reflecting a growing, united call for policies that uphold dignity and recognize food as a human right.

Read the full recommendations here: https://righttofood.ca/a-national-call-to-act-on-food-insecurity-in-budget-2026/?utm_campaign=&utm_content=1779983499&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=facebook

05/24/2026

📦 Don’t miss out — Order Your Fresh Food Box Today!
Next pick-up day is coming up fast (June 1st) and the order deadline is Monday May 25th.

🥦 Order for yourself, or split a box with a friend or neighbour
📍 Pick up in Banff, Canmore, Lake Louise and Exshaw.
💰 Affordable, fresh, and full of good things
🌱 Let’s make fresh food a habit and a right.

Tell a friend. Order a box. Nourish your community.
bvfa.ca/bvffb

Get fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables delivered monthly with the Bow Valley Fresh Food Box. Choose a regular box for $35, a Supported Pricing Rate box for $30 or donate a box to support local households facing food access barriers. Supported pricing is available to: Banff Access and Canmore A

05/15/2026

We’re proud to stand alongside community food organizations across Canada in supporting Right To Food’s 2026 pre-budget submission.
This submission is an opportunity for the food security sector to put forward solutions ahead of the fall budget. Together, we’re calling for action to:

✔ Meaningfully reduce food insecurity
✔ Strengthen income supports
✔ Fund Indigenous food sovereignty

The more organizations that endorse, the stronger the call for action becomes.

🖋️ Add your organization’s endorsement by May 22 at 11:59 p.m. ET: https://forms.gle/kguiHr1i65earfFP9

05/07/2026

🌱♻️ Compost Giveaway is back in Canmore!

Turn food scraps into healthy soil and help grow a more resilient local food system. 🌎💚

📅 May 12 & 13
🕚 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
📍 Canmore Recreation Centre back lot

Residents can pick up up to 100L of free compost (registration required). Bring your own containers + shovel! 🪏🪣

Learn more & register:
https://www.canmore.ca/news/post/canmore-ca-communitycompost2026

Located on Treaty 7 Territory, Canmore is nestled in the heart of the Bow River Valley and flanked by peaks on all sides. Once a small coal mining town, Canmore is now a bustling home to adventurers, creators, innovators, community-builders, athletes, and

04/30/2026

🌱 What We’ve Been Up To | March + April with BVFA 🌱

The past two months have been full, in the best way. From fresh food on tables to big-picture systems change, here’s a snapshot of what’s been keeping us busy across the Bow Valley

🥕 Fresh Food Access
* March 2 + April 6 - Over 200+ Bow Valley Fresh Food Boxes shared across the valley, increasing access to fresh, nutritious food

👵 Older Adults + Community Wisdom
* March 23 + April 7 – Connected with older adults (including Mount Edith), listening, learning, and integrating lived experience into future programming
* April 27 – Served 45+ meals at our lobster bisque lunch with Banff 55+, featuring hands-on deshelling demos and lots of laughter form local experts

🌱 Learning + Skill Building
* March 25 – Partnered with CYAN at Canmore Brewing Co. for a hands-on workshop (sprouting + preserving herbs 🌿), with seeds shared and connections sparked
* March 26 – Celebrated the Great Big Crunch, supporting healthy school food conversations across Canada

🌍 Community + Collaboration
* March 31 – Hosted our AGM with 11+ organizations and community members helping shape our path forward
* April 12 – Joined the Canmore Rotary Club for Eco Food & Fashion Fest at artsPlace
* April 20 – Convened our Food Charter Working Group on emergency food preparedness with 10 organizations, strong momentum to continue this work

📣 Advocacy + Bigger Picture Impact
* April 28–29 – Joined 450+ organizations at the Right to Food Summit, celebrating policy wins and building momentum for local action

✨ Across all of this: We’re connecting people, strengthening local food systems, and turning community voices into action.

Food. Community. Change.

04/13/2026

🌱 Before the next emergency… let’s be ready.

Floods. Fires. A global pandemic.
The Bow Valley has already experienced how quickly our food systems can be disrupted.
Now it’s time to come together and build something stronger.

Join us for an in-person Food Charter Working Group session on Emergency Preparedness for the Food Sector.
Date: Monday April 20th, 2026
Time: 9:30AM-11AM
Location: The Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre

This will be a fun, interactive gathering to help shape a Bow Valley-wide response framework.

💬 Share your experiences
🛠️ Explore real-life scenarios
🤝 Strengthen connections across our food system

This is just the beginning and your voice matters.

👉 Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1986283194504?aff=oddtdtcreator

Collaborating on emergency food preparedness; Join us as we explore existing emergency frameworks and plan for a Bow Valley response.

04/08/2026

🌎✨ Come celebrate Earth Month with us, Bow Valley! ✨🌱

The Bow Valley Food Alliance is excited to be hosting a booth at the Eco Food & Fashion Fest and we’d love to see you there!

Join us at artsplacecanmore in Canmore on Sunday, April 12 for an inspiring afternoon of food, creativity, and climate action.

🥕 Explore the Vegan Chef Challenge Showcase (2:30–4:00)
👗 Stick around for the Climate Fashion Show (4:00–5:30, RSVP required)
🌿 Connect with us at our booth to talk all things food, community, and climate

This is your chance to start celebrating Earth Day early, together. Food is our environment, and every small step brings us closer to a more connected, resilient future.

Come say hello, share a story, and be part of the movement 💚

03/20/2026

🌱 Spring into ‘Action’ — BVFA AGM 2026 🌸

On this Spring Equinox, as the days grow longer, we’re reminded that this season is all about renewal, connection, and action 🌞🌿
🥕 You’re invited to the Bow Valley Food Alliance Annual General Meeting 🥕

📅 Tuesday, March 31, 2026
🕠 Doors Open: 5:30 PM
🗓 AGM: 6:00 – 7:00 PM
🥂 Nibbles & Networking: 7:00 – 7:30 PM
📍 Catharine Robb-Whyte Building (Pioneer Room), Banff

✨ Join us as we reflect on the past year, share stories of impact, and spring into action.

🔗 Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/bow-valley-food-alliance-annual-general-meeting-tickets-1983278638797

🗓 Register by March 24, 2026

Let’s grow what’s possible 🌾💛

Join us in person for the Bow Valley Food Alliance AGM – get ready to Spring into Action!

02/26/2026

📝 Wrap-Up — February

February may be the shortest month of the year — but it was full of action, collaboration, and community care across the Bow Valley. Here’s what we’ve been up to:

📦 February 2 — Bow Valley Fresh Food Box
We distributed 127 Fresh Food Boxes across the region, our highest winter order volume yet.

From Banff to Canmore and beyond, households continue to choose fresh, affordable produce with dignity and flexibility. Thank you to our funders, volunteers, partners, and everyone who continues to help this program grow sustainably.

🌍 February 5 — Workplace Inclusion Celebration
We were honoured to support the Bow Valley Immigration Partnership as they celebrated local businesses championing the Workplace Inclusion Charter.

Food systems and inclusive workplaces go hand in hand, when communities feel welcomed and valued, everyone thrives.

🤝 Community Expertise & Systems Support
This month, BVFA supported the banffcanmorefoundation by sharing subject-matter expertise on local food supports, resources, and system gaps.

We’re grateful to contribute insight that strengthens funding decisions and builds a more resilient food ecosystem across the Bow Valley.

🌱 February 23 — Earth Talk at Canmore Library
In partnership with the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley and the Canmore Public Library, we hosted an Earth Talk, exploring how small acts create shared impact.

From community gardens to Fresh Food Boxes to advocacy — collective action matters. Thank you to everyone who joined the conversation and shared stories of hope and responsibility.

🧭 Strategic Planning & Looking Ahead
Behind the scenes, February was deeply focused on the future.

✔️ Continuing our five-year strategic planning process
✔️ Preparing our Annual General Meeting
✔️ Strengthening governance and evaluation systems

📅 Save the Date: March 31 at 6:00 PM — Join us for our AGM as we share our 2025 Annual Report, impact stories, and what we’re growing toward next.

💛 Gratitude
To every volunteer, funder, partner, and neighbour — thank you. The Bow Valley Food Alliance is powered by community care. February reminded us that systems change happens through steady collaboration, shared learning, and showing up for one another.

Together, we continue building food systems rooted in dignity, access, and belonging.