The Good Food Box is a popular program in Strathmore and Wheatland County providing many families with access to affordable groceries.

Catherine Walsh, Community and Social Development Manager with the town of Strathmore explained some of the changes the Good Food Box program went through over the past 16 months. 

"We offered an additional price reduction on the boxes in 2020 to make the boxes even more affordable. We have returned to our regular pricing for 2021 which resulted in fewer orders as well as numbers are always lower in the spring and summer due to farmers' markets etc."

Operating this program through a pandemic provided some challenges for the team but they rose to and met every challenge creating a drive-through service where clients do not need to get out of their car,  the boxes are loaded into the vehicle for them.  This is a process they plan to continue until the end of 2021.

Boxes are packed by community kitchens in Calgary so the availability can sometimes change but Walsh noted that clients can count on staples such as lettuce, tomatoes, apples, and carrots, etc.

Walsh spoke to the importance of this program providing affordable healthy options to families in Strathmore and Wheatland county.

"Each box is based on weight and in comparison to grocery stores, the cost is significantly lower.  With covid causing job loss and/or reduced working hours families had to live on a restricted budget the good food box allows people to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at a lower cost make it more affordable for people who have a restricted budget"

The next round of orders need to be submitted by September 20th with delivery set for October 1st, for more on the program visit www.strathmore.ca.