Red Deer Food Bank Society

What Red Deer Food Bank Society does

Red Deer Food Bank Society is a federally registered Canadian charity (operating since 1983/84) that provides emergency food support to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity across Central Alberta. Its core service architecture is a dual-access model: the Food Hub, an appointment-based, grocery-style shopping experience where clients select items based on household size, dietary needs, and cultural preferences (replacing traditional pre-packed hampers), and the Pantry Program, an open-access, walk-in distribution channel for rescued and donated food with no appointment required. Intake processes integrate government-benefits screening through Benefits Wayfinder and free income-tax filing via the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP). In 2025 the organization distributed more than 1.6 million pounds of food, served 30,500 people, and recorded 44,000+ Pantry visits, with 40% of recipients being children.

The organization operates two social enterprises as wholly-owned programs: Kitchen 49, an AHS-certified commercial culinary operation generating revenue through catering, three food trucks (Totally Chill ice cream, Food Dude, plus a third mobile unit), cooking classes, kitchen rentals, and a spice line; and Garden 49, a food production initiative combining greenhouse, hydroponic sea cans, indoor growing spaces, mushroom production, and community gardens. Garden 49 is anchored by the Co-op Community Food Farm (producing 400,000 cherry tomatoes/year) and is funded in part by two $75,000 grants secured in 2024. The supply pipeline is reinforced by food rescue partnerships with major grocery chains (Walmart, Costco, Loblaws, Sobeys, Central Alberta Co-op) and local producers.

Revenue is generated through three channels: (1) food donations (non-perishable and perishable) from individuals, businesses, and grocery partners; (2) monetary donations including one-time gifts, The Community Table monthly giving program, the 10,000 Club ($5/month recurring donors), securities and legacy gifts, and named grants (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Jules Foundation, Co-op Community Spaces, Rotary Club of Red Deer East); and (3) Kitchen 49 social enterprise revenue, which is reinvested into food bank programs. Distribution channels include grocery store donation bins, an Amazon Wishlist, Tip-Tap donation stations, and a Square-based online ordering platform launched in September 2025 for Kitchen 49/Garden 49 products. The organization is led by Executive Director Mitch Thomson (appointed May 2021) and governed by a volunteer Board of Directors; it is privately held with no parent company or external ownership.

Name

Red Deer Food Bank Society

Legal name

Red Deer Food Bank Society

Website

https://reddeerfoodbank.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Red Deer Food Bank Society is a federally registered Canadian charity operating since 1983 that provides emergency food support across Central Alberta via an appointment-based Food Hub and open-access Pantry Program, supplemented by Kitchen 49 catering/food trucks and Garden 49 fresh-produce production.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Food Assistance / Community Food Security

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD), Food Assistance & Safety Nets (In-Kind, Vouchers, Cash Transfers) (BPADAJAA)

Keywords

• Emergency food assistance
• Food bank services
• Food recovery programs
• Community food security
• Social enterprise catering

Headquarters

HQ city

Red Deer

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Food Donations: Non-perishable and perishable food donated by individuals, businesses, grocery stores, and through food drives.
2. Monetary Donations: One-time and monthly donations from individuals and corporations. Monthly giving program called The Community Table. Also accepts securities, mutual funds, and legacy gifts.
3. Kitchen 49 Social Enterprise: Revenue generated through catering services, food truck operations (Totally Chill ice cream truck and Food Dude food truck), cooking classes, kitchen rentals, and spice blend sales. Revenue reinvested into food bank programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Red Deer Food Bank Society provides emergency food support to individuals and families facing food insecurity across Central Alberta through two core access channels: the appointment-based Food Hub (a grocery-style shopping experience allowing clients to select foods based on household size, dietary needs, and cultural preferences) and the open-access Pantry Program (walk-in distribution of rescued and donated surplus food). The organization also operates two revenue-generating social enterprises — Kitchen 49 (catering, food trucks, cooking classes, kitchen rentals in an AHS-certified commercial kitchen) and Garden 49 (fresh food production via greenhouse, hydroponics, and community gardens) — with all proceeds reinvested into the food bank mission.

Product overview

Red Deer Food Bank Society operates as a community food security organization offering emergency food support and social enterprise programs. The core service consists of the Food Hub (appointment-based, grocery-style food selection) and Pantry Program (walk-in rescued food access). The organization operates two social enterprises: Garden 49 (food production using greenhouse, hydroponic, and community garden systems) and Kitchen 49 (culinary program offering catering, food trucks, cooking classes, and kitchen rentals). Additional programs include monthly giving (The Community Table), Amazon Wishlist donations, Benefits Wayfinder assistance, and free tax preparation services through CVITP.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kitchen 49: Culinary division of the Red Deer Food Bank offering catering services, food trucks, cooking classes, and kitchen rentals. Revenue generated is reinvested into food bank programs and services.
• Garden 49
• Food Hub
• Pantry Program
• The Community Table
• 10,000 Club

Products and services

• Food Hub Appointment-based, grocery store-style food support program where individuals and families in Central Alberta select foods that best fit their household size, dietary needs, cultural preferences, allergies, and personal tastes, rather than receiving a pre-packed hamper. Stocked with fresh produce, dairy, meat, pantry staples, and bakery items depending on availability; intake requires photo ID, proof of income, and household documentation.
• Pantry Program Open-access, walk-in food support program distributing rescued and donated surplus food (bread, produce, snacks, and other rescued items) to community members facing food insecurity. No appointment required; daily inventory varies with donations and food rescue opportunities, helping stretch household food budgets and reduce food waste.
• Garden 49 Food-production and education initiative that produces fresh, nutritious food for the Food Hub using greenhouse, hydroponic sea cans, indoor growing spaces, mushroom production, and community gardens (including the Co-op Community Food Farm producing ~400,000 cherry tomatoes annually). Also offers microgreens and spice-blend products for sale, with revenue reinvested into the food bank mission and education/skills-building opportunities for the community.
• Kitchen 49 AHS-certified commercial teaching kitchen and culinary social enterprise offering catering services, food-truck operations (Totally Chill ice cream truck, Food Dude food truck, additional mobile food services), cooking classes, kitchen rentals, and spice-blend sales. Services are led by Red Seal Chefs; revenue is reinvested into the Red Deer Food Bank's mission and supports food-education programming.
• Kitchen 49 + Garden 49 Online Ordering Website Consolidated e-commerce storefront for Kitchen 49 and Garden 49 that lets customers purchase cooking-class tickets, Garden 49 microgreens, Kitchen 49 spice blends, catering, and food-truck services online via a Square ordering site.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 30,500 people in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Food Banks CanadacoreOthers · 1 January 2024National food bank organization providing support, resources, and advocacy for food banks across Canada. Red Deer Food Bank is part of this network.
• Food Banks AlbertacoreOthersProvincial food bank organization supporting Alberta food banks with resources and coordination.
• Rotary Club of Red Deer EastcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRotary Club raised funds to develop the Community Kitchen base for Culinary Services at Kitchen 49, enabling food education and food services that generate revenue for Food Bank programs.
• Co-op Community SpacescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-op Community Spaces supported the Red Deer Food Bank Society as one of 14 projects in 2024. The Co-op Community Food Farm produces nearly 400,000 cherry tomatoes annually for the emergency food hamper program.
• WalmartsupportingOthersGrocery store partner donating food items to the food bank.
• CostcosupportingOthersGrocery store partner donating food items to the food bank.
• LoblawssupportingOthersGrocery store partner donating food items to the food bank.
• SobeyssupportingOthersGrocery store partner donating food items to the food bank.
• Central Alberta Co-opsupportingOthersGrocery store partner donating food items and hosting food donation bins.
• SyscosupportingOthersFood distributor partner supporting food bank operations.
• Steel Pony FarmsupportingOthersLocal greenhouse and producer donating fresh produce.
• Beck FarmssupportingOthersLocal farm providing produce to the food bank.
• Doeff's GreenhousessupportingOthersLocal greenhouse partner contributing to food supply.
• Benefits WayfindersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree online tool helping clients find government benefits. Food bank staff assist clients in completing the Benefits questionnaire and print eligibility results.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Greater Vancouver Food Bank: British Columbia's largest food bank serving Metro Vancouver. Comparable client-choice distribution, partner-network model, and social enterprise initiatives to Red Deer.
• Edmonton Food Bank: Major Alberta food bank distributing hampers and operating warehouse-scale food rescue in Edmonton. Comparable in mission, geography and grocery-retail partnerships to Red Deer.
• Calgary Food Bank: Alberta's largest food bank serving Calgary and surrounding area with hamper distribution, food rescue, and social enterprise programs. Highly comparable operating model and provincial context to Red Deer Food Bank.
• Second Harvest (Canada): Canada's largest food rescue organization redirecting surplus food to nonprofits across the country. Comparable to Red Deer's Pantry Program rescue model, though operating at national scale.
• Moisson Montréal: Québec's largest regional food bank providing food assistance and recovery across greater Montreal. Similar scale and mission operating in a different provincial context.
• Daily Bread Food Bank: Toronto-based food bank providing client-choice food distribution and member-agency support. Operates a similar choice-based, dignity-focused model comparable to Red Deer's Food Hub.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: The largest U.S. hunger-relief organization operating a national network of food banks. Useful international comparable for scale, social enterprise structure, and grocery-retail partnership economics.
• Food Banks Canada: National umbrella organization for Canadian food banks, providing funding, advocacy and coordination. Acts as a systems-level incumbent that Red Deer partners with and from which it derives reputational and funding support.
• Feed Ontario: Provincial food bank association representing Ontario's regional food banks, providing coordination and advocacy. Comparable role to Food Banks Alberta within a larger provincial network.
• Food Banks Alberta: Provincial association supporting Alberta food banks with coordination, resources and collective advocacy. A direct strategic partner and natural benchmark for Red Deer's operations and impact metrics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/red-deer-food-bank-society

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Red Deer Food Bank Society