Foothills residents form collective to provide Alberta beef to rural food banks

A new grassroots non-profit is hoping to act as a conduit between ranchers and rural food banks, which are facing record demand for their services.

The Foothills Farm Table Collective was conceived by former Okotoks rancher Jay Cross andShelly Faulkner, co-owner of the Bluerock Gallery in nearby Diamond Valley.

The pair say they wanted to be a connection between farming families and people in need intheir rural community.

"Local food banks are under greater pressure than we've ever seen. The local food bank I'm most connected to has seen about a 30-40 per centincreasein use," said Cross.

"Grocery prices have gone up, and often the first thing to drop out is healthy protein. So we thought, 'let's bring these two things together.' There's an urgent need and a supportive community," he said.

The first donation of 600 pounds (272 kg) of frozen, locally produced beef came from Brenda Otto of Tangle Ridge Ranch near Okotoks.

"We put a lot of heart and soul into our beef, and to be able to feed and nourish some local families, it feels really good. We all know the cost of living has skyrocketed and a lot of people we know are struggling to pay the bills," said Otto.

Otto says she's been talking with other ranchers who also want to get involved, with the news of the collective spreading on social media.

"We already have a friend who'll be working with Jay next," Otto said.

Cross says the collective is an example of community in action.

"It's not just a single donation. You're part of a movement, and a sense of community is what the world needs more of," he said.

"The sense of giving is so genuine," said Faulkner, a close friend of Cross.

"The sense of reward is very genuine also,just a really good feeling that it's neighbours that you're going to be helping. That's a really good feeling for us, too," she said.

The collective hopes to expand the number of donors it's working with, even looking beyond beef to poultry and fresh produce donations in the coming months.