A recent theft has left the Rock Soup Greenhouse and Food Bank in a precarious financial situation.

We are in urgent need of your support to allow these essential and impactful community services to continue!

The Rock Soup Greenhouse and Food Bank is a grassroots, community-led charity in Wetaskiwin, AB, offering a barrier-free, disability-run, cost-free grocery store and 4-seasons greenhouse. Our culturally appropriate and trauma-informed approach offers a much-needed alternative to the often stigmatizing emergency food access services typically available. We are by the community, for the community. Your donation helps ensure this beautiful community has access to dignified, inclusive spaces!

Website: www.rocksoup.ca | Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq_abABuFMc

About us

Mission: We provide a safe space where people can connect with food, health, and each other, based on a non-intrusive, dignified, and inclusive approach.

Vision: To fulfill our mission in a self-sufficient/sustainable manner, and generate community-positive transformation towards social justice.

Context: In Wetaskiwin, AB, we serve the surrounding area including the 4 distinct First Nations in Maskwacis.

Services: Through our 3000 square foot barrier- and cost-free, disability-run grocery store and our 6000 square foot 4-season greenhouse, the Rock Soup strives to put fresh, local, sustainable food freely available for access. We also operate a community café, boutique, aquaponics, commercial kitchen and ceremonial space – providing food sovereignty for the community.

Impact: We estimate over 4,000 families with approx. 4 people per family, though many families in Maskwacis are much bigger. We also assist several other grassroots, mutual aid groups to help serve around 2,000 unhoused community members across Alberta.

Team: Our grassroots, mutual aid, volunteer-run organization was created by and is run by people with disabilities, minorities, LGBTQIA2S+, seniors, Indigenous Peoples and New Comers and people with lived experience. Many of us are unhoused folks, on disability, and struggling on a poverty wage like AISH, ADAP or CPP.

We are the community we serve.

Approach: Accessibility, dignity, culture and community guide our service model, promoting inclusion through participation. We ensure there are no barriers to accessing the harvest and that food is freely shared within the natural support system already established in the community, assuring the helpers can continue to take care of those who are unable to harvest for themselves.

Dignity, autonomy, inclusion, participation and access to basic necessities and human rights for all. Food is community.

How you can help

A recent theft leaves us without enough funds to do this work, so we are relying on the good will of our communities as well as our own personal resources. Your urgent financial support can help us ensure this important work continues!

Your contribution can help cover our ongoing costs, including:

$160/week (690/m) for truck rental for food pickup and delivery to get 5-10K lbs of food each week.

$3500/month for rent

$3000/month for utilities; this includes heating the 4-season greenhouse. This provides fresh produce, traditional medicines, chickens, aquaponics (talapia) that is shared in the free grocery store.

For examples.

We also need to cover the legal fees connected with the theft. This includes a civil lawyer and funds to cover the losses from the theft. The priority is to raise at least 6 months worth of budget, so we can find our footing again.

Every dollar counts!

THANK YOU!

We thank you so much for your support and commitment to this important work! With your help, our community can continue to receive dignified, inclusive and welcoming food access services and community care.

It is only together we do this, and I am thankful to be able to share in it with you all. I am grateful for all of the Soup'er heroes that make this happen.