Supporting Community-Led Food Security With The Hatch

Education is a great way to deepen impact, and this partnership with The Hatch is a perfect example of that. Together, with the funding support of a Calgary Foundation Neighbour Grant, we launched the new Community Fridge Handbook — a practical guide that helps residents set up and sustain community fridges in their own neighbourhoods.

The Hatch developed the handbook by retracing all the steps they took to create the Rosscarrock Community Fridge. Their experience shaped clear, easy instructions for new groups.

To make sure community members had a chance to learn and get involved, we hosted a lunch-and-learn session where participants explored the handbook, could ask questions, and connected with others doing similar work. Don’t worry, no one was left out. We mailed copies to community associations that could not attend, ensuring the resource reached as many neighbourhoods as possible.

One of our favourite moments from the launch came from a Woodbine resident who manages a community pantry. After attending, she shared how the event helped her address challenges like vandalism and food overflow. A week later, she reached out with extra produce that needed redistribution — and we were able to share it with fridges across the city. This is exactly the type of collaboration we hope to inspire.

You can help this work grow.

Through Birdies for Kids, every donation made to Friends of the Federation is matched up to 50%, directly supporting community-led projects like this one.