Free or Affordable Items for Basic Needs

By Giselle General

Many people in our community are working low-wage jobs, where every penny needs to be stretched to help meet the basic needs for the household. There are times when due to a crisis or losing a job, paying for items needed at home can be challenging. One incredible thing about our community is that there are many programs and services either by government or non-profit agencies that can help when the budget is a bit tighter.

This is a range of resources that can serve as a starting point when faced with this situation.

1. Food Shortage: a. Edmonton Food Bank: The Edmonton Food bank can provide food hampers with food that can help for some time. The food that gets distributed are collected from donations and their centres are ran by volunteers. People in need can go to a physical location or order a food hamper online. The phone number is 780-425-4190 and www. edmontonsfoodbank. com/ is the website. b. Wecan Food Basket Society:

The WECAN Food Basket operates by buying bulk from wholesalers and local producers and passing the savings on to its members. Families needing to stretch their food budgets with healthy food choices may join the Wecan Food Basket and purchase a monthly food order. Membership costs only $5 for a year and the membership fees go towards supporting the program’s volunteers. The phone number is 780-413-4525 and the website is wecanfood.com.

2. Household Goods: a. Buy Nothing Group Initiative: Majority of neighbourhoods in the city had a local group where people can ask or offer items that they don’t need anymore, free of charge. The great thing about this program is that since the people offering are your neighbours, it is easy to walk to pick up the items. Search on Facebook for the word “buy nothing”, your neighbourhood’s name and the city to find yours.

3. Transportation: a. Discounted Bus Pass: The Ride Transit Program offers a monthly transit pass to eligible low-income

Edmontonians at a subsidized rate of $35/month. You must apply in order to be able to purchase a subsidized transit pass. The webpage with more information is www.edmonton.ca/ridetransit

4. Free Activities and Entertainment: a. Priceless Fun Guide: This is a comprehensive list compiled by the City of Edmonton that outlines different fun activities such as city attractions, parks, cheap equipment rentals and more. www.edmonton.ca/activities_ parks_recreation/documents/ PricelessFunSpringSummer.pdf is the link for the actual brochure. b. Community Leagues: Community Leagues exist in every neighbourhood in Edmonton, and the programs and events are by volunteers. Depending on the neighbourhood, there could be free or cheap events that are happening such as block parties, movie nights, local parades, and more. To find your community league, visit www.efcl.org or call 780-437-2913. c. Leisure Access Program: The Leisure Access Program (LAP) allows eligible low-income Edmontonians to access participating City of

Edmonton recreation facilities through an annual pass or a subsidized monthly pass. The facilities that can be accessed include city attractions, pools, golf courses, and more. A monthly family pass for recreation centres is over $100 per month, but with the Leisure Access Program The website to get more information is www.edmonton.ca/lap.

While many of these are specific programs in Edmonton, there are certainly equivalents in other cities and towns. A quick online search while adding the name of the town or city can help identify specific services in the area, or you can also use the directory 211, which can be found online at ab.211.ca. Finally, I would like to take a moment to emphasize that asking for social supports when you need help is nothing to be ashamed of. Asking for free or low-cost services doesn’t make you or your family failures or bad people, everyone needs support every now and then. The potential upside is that these supports can help you resolve your struggles more quickly and get you back on your feet.