2017: 111 Food Hampers Delivered in 2017 already! Help us raise funds to deliver 500.

GOAL: DELIVER 500 FOOD HAMPERS IN CALGARY, AB

Note: $25,000 is the Part 1 of campaign to raise total goal of $45,000 for 2017

"And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful." [3:104, Quran] 

386 HAMPERS DELIVERED in 2016

Feb 14 - Winter Food Hamper Drive - 50 Hampers

Apr 07 - Spring Food Hamper Drive - 49 Hampers

Jun 05 - Ramadan Food Hamper Drive - 60 Hampers

Jul 03 - Eid ul Fitr Food Hamper Drive - 60 Hampers

Aug 14 - Back to School Food Hamper Drive - 56 Hampers

Sep 11 - Eid ul Adha Food Hamper Drive - 57 Hampers

Nov 20 - Fall Food Hamper Drive - 54 Hampers

2017 - WHAT IS THE PLAN?

We will be adding one more hamper drive for 2017, bringing the total to 8 food hamper drives, which will provide basic necessities to 1500+ people. We also continue to evaluate different stores to see where we can get the best value, that is sustainable for the store and our budget.

Jan 08 -  Winter Food Hamper Drive - 54 Hampers

Mar 12 - Food Hamper Drive - 55 Hampers

Mar 18 - One Ummah Conference - 2 Hampers

FUNDING

(Please Note: $25,000 is the Part 1 of campaign to raise total goal of $45,000 for 2017)

As mentioned above, 100% of our funds go towards the food hamper. Costs for social media campaigns and website etc. are covered from admin funds that are generated through our tutoring program in the local community. We do not own or operate an actual facility (e.g. food bank) which allows us to have no overhead expenses. Overall, this ensures that we work on a penny-in penny-out system, upon which we hold ourselves accountable to deliver in 2017 and beyond inshaAllah. 

For the past 8 years, we have raised funds through word of mouth and Facebook campaigns (https://www.facebook.com/FoodHamperProject). Due to the continuous downturn in our city, the donations are trending downwards, whereas the demand for the food hampers and the need in the city is increasing by the day. This is why we have turned to crowdfunding platform; LaunchGood.

FAQ

1. How do you distribute the food?

Hamper delivery dates get planned almost a year in advance around various observed holidays and other organized events in the city. Order gets placed two weeks in advance, and subsequently volunteer database is contacted to seek available volunteers for the food hamper drive. On the day, volunteers show up at the store for pickup in their vehicles, once loaded they head over to the packaging location. Boxes are collected from various stores, and hampers are put together in a systematic fashion. Afterwards, the drivers show up in their vehicles, ready to get the hamper delivered in different parts of the city. Overall, the whole process takes 7 to 8 hours on the day of the hamper deliveries.

Quick shout out to IANWC and MAC for giving us free access to Youth Centre for our packaging needs. Also, City Market by Loblaws in Sage Hill for partnering with us in 2016 and providing amazing discounts and helping us reach more families.

2. How are the families selected?

The database that we delivered to 2016 can be divided into two parts. 

(i) Families that are assessed by the social worker - They are contacted to see what the need is like and then added/removed from the delivery list.

(ii) Families that are referred - These are assessed by individuals or organizations that are referring them.

Before we are able to add a family to our list permanently, an assessment is required by social worker. This covers various details with the family to ensure they are utilizing all available resources, and then determine the level of need from there. In the current economic environment, lots of times we get families that are well off, but due to job losses have suffered deeply and find it tough to make ends meet. Our goal is to help them get back on their feet by supplementing some of their expenses through the food hamper program. 

3. Are these families Zakat eligible?

Most of the families in our database are eligible for Zakat. We do get some last minute referrals and one-time assistance requests, where we do not have the time to fully make an assessment. This accounts for approximately 10-15% of the total disbursement.

4. Do you help families outside of the food hamper drives?

We do work with a social worker that visits these families multiple times in the year. Other than a one-off request for assistance, all the financial disbursement is done at the time of food hamper deliveries.

5. How can I volunteer in Calgary?

You can contact us on facebook or email us at info@enjoingood.com if you would like to volunteer. Our volunteers have diverse backgrounds and consist of not just youth and working professionals, but a dedicated group of young children, and seniors play a big part in our success. 

Please join our Facebook page www.facebook.com/FoodHamperProject to see updates about the food hamper drives.

6. What is the point of food hamper? Why not cash?

Food hampers are meant to provide financial ease to the needy so they can use finances towards other pressing items. By not distributing cash, we ensure that the money will go towards the basic needs. Although, we do distribute $10-$25 gift cards on special occasions around Ramadan,  Eid and back to school. We acknowledge that by no means this puts an end to the problem on hand, but the satisfaction of being able to help them is unmatched for us and the families that we help. 

If anything else is on your mind that was not covered above, please contact us and we'll be happy to assist you. 

Who are we? 

A not-for-profit that helps underprivileged families, single mothers and refugees in the community by distributing food hampers. 

We believe in providing opportunities to engage and build a community that participates in helping others have sustainable livelihoods. At the very core of Enjoin Good is the development of positive relationships. This includes relationships with both the people who access the organization, and those who volunteer and work with us. Together we aim to improve the conditions of low income and new immigrant families, enabling them to integrate into Canadian society, feel hope for the future and plan for a prosperous life. ​

Be a part of the community efforts by joining us to help the ones in need. This is also why our slogan is "Community Serving Community".