Many of us are aware that there is a correlation between disparity in socioeconomic status and equity to fresh, quality produce, but how many businesses are passionate enough to try and resolve this issue? As a former student of the GenYYC program, Fresh Routes was an idea that co-founder Rob Ironside introduced to us during an event in 2019. I quickly became awestruck by the ingenuity, innovation and passion behind this idea to provide communities with equal access to affordable fresh food.

While exploring the city, you may have noticed a former City of Calgary bus that has been gutted and reconfigured into a mobile grocery store; that’s Fresh Routes! Fresh Routes is a mobile grocery store with 60 stops and serving 20 different communities within Calgary and Edmonton, that do not have equal access to affordable fresh food. Their route schedules are posted on their website freshroutes.ca and incorporate trucks and the very recognizable city of Calgary bus. They offer a variety of healthy food choices at reasonable prices for struggling communities, in large part thanks to their partnership with grocery distributor, H&W. Fresh Routes’ purpose is inspiring: A not-for-profit social enterprise that creates innovative ways of providing healthy and affordable food to as many Canadians as possible —especially those who need it most.

Fresh Routes have continuously demonstrated leadership skills such as empathy, compassion, and kindness. They have ingrained themselves as innovators and advocates by positively impacting the communities they serve. Did you know that Fresh Routes advocates for volunteers from the specific neighbourhoods they visit? Not only are they providing healthy food choices, but they are also building up communities by incorporating volunteers that are recognizable within their own neighborhoods. During COVID-19, the COVID Emergency Delivery Program was created to provide healthy food to families who are struggling due to the pandemic. Their ingenuity for raising money was demonstrated through crowdfunding initiatives to provide contactless delivery of free and affordable food hampers to those in need. Kindness during COVID-19 has been exhibited through more than 200 volunteers who take on an invaluable role in the delivery program. For future goals, Fresh Routes is working on expanding into Winnipeg and currently has a Fresh Baskets program which they bring to Indigenous communities to ensure equal access to fresh food.

I want to personally thank Fresh Routes for being such valuable leaders in business and positive contributors to the multiple communities they serve. While writing this blog, I am still captivated by the Fresh Routes mission and values. Many of us think of equity as equal access, but in reality, it’s much deeper than the surface. For instance, Fresh Routes is not only resolving inequity to healthy food, but are also allowing for healthy choices, maintaining dignity, and empowering communities through volunteer opportunities.  Their journey has inspired me to share their story, and other businesses with similar stories, to my network.

In closing, I would like to give a huge thank you to Emily Vilcsak (Communications and Marketing Lead) for meeting with me and enthusiastically sharing the Fresh Routes story.