Series - Editorial Fellowship: digital transformation and technology for social impact

“Food is not a patient thing, it’s urgent”: how data collection and sharing can help people in Calgary access emergency food

Author Sharlene Gandhi
Vibrant Communities Calgary and Technology Helps are partnering to build a data-driven system that can connect people in need of food with the community organizations that have it

Why It Matters

As the affordability crisis deepens in Calgary, more people are turning to emergency food providers. Collating real-time data on the inventory that food providers hold can help the sector coordinate to reach those in need. However, a system of this sort requires both employees and volunteers to move past “mental barriers” and engage with data processes.

var TRINITY_TTS_WP_CONFIG = {"cleanText":"\u201cFood is not a patient thing, it\u2019s urgent\u201d: how data collection and sharing can help people in Calgary access emergency food. Food banks alone are no longer able to keep up with the growing demand for emergency food in Calgary.\u00a0 (Image: Vibrant Communities Calgary) \u00a0 This independent journalism on data, digital transformation and technology for social impact is made possible by the Future of Good editorial fellowship on digital transformation, supported by Mastercard Changeworks\u2122. Read our editorial ethics and standards here.\u00a0 Before Covid, there were 65 emergency charity food providers in the city of Calgary.\u00a0 Seemingly overnight, the number shot up to a couple of hundred, says Meaghon Reid, the executive dire

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