The Mustard Seed is feeling the impact of inflation and rising costs across our locations. The organization is witnessing a record number of people needing our services. The meal programs are constantly being adjusted to meet the growing demand.

They rely heavily on food donations (gifts in kind) to offset costs and there is a steady decline in overall gifts in kind. With suppliers across Alberta and BC increasing their prices, they have updated the cost per meal from $3.51 to reflect the actual current average cost of $5.38.

Last year, the Mustard Seed served over 700,000 meals across their locations and the need is growing. This year, the Mustard Seed budgeted $1,873,441 for meals, and during the four months ended July 31st , we surpassed the year-to-date food expense budget by $241,815.

The Mustard Seed prides itself on serving balanced nutritious meals to our vulnerable clients and compromising that standard is not an option.

Food storage can be a challenge, so the organization is asking donors to consider donating gift cards to grocery stores like Superstore, Costco, and others.

If a sports team, a group of staff, a church group, or a university club wishes to sponsor an entire meal, they can call the Mustard Seed at 1·833·GIV·HOPE (448·4673). Donate today or learn more at theseed.ca