Discover how AMA is fighting food insecurity in Alberta through school garden programs, urban farming, food-bank drives, and pollinator conservation. Together, we’re growing a more sustainable and equitable future for the next generation.
Just a seed of an idea in late 2022, the AMA School Garden Studio has blossomed into a trusted resource for more than 200 Junior High teachers across the province—a milestone reached in late 2024.
With insight from our stakeholders, we identified a hole in the food security space and dreamed up a way to make it easy and accessible for educators to teach children how to grow their own food. With partnership from likeminded organizations, we assembled best-in-class resources and equipment to make it easier for teachers to leverage the wonder of growing to inspire confidence and self-sufficiency in their students.
With the support of our team, we built a bursary program that helps provide equitable access to this important hands-on learning. And with a reach that now includes thousands of Alberta students, the Studio is building strong roots in the fight against food insecurity.
We encourage you to watch the video above to learn more. While the full impact of the Studio may not be visible today, we know it will have powerful ripples for Alberta children’s tomorrows.
After a few challenging economic years, the food banking system is dangerously close to its limit. In fact, the national rate of demand over the past five years far surpasses anything the network has ever experienced. It means that many Albertans can’t give in the ways they used to, and some are now on the receiving end of the support they once provided.
But in a province as strong as ours, the heart to help remains strong. So, in 2024, we adjusted our annual Fill Our Fleet campaign in support of community food banks. This included an expanded financial commitment from AMA, as well as creating new ways for members to participate, according to their circumstances. Because we know that great change can come from small, personal actions.
To make monetary gifts go further, we pledged to match every campaign donation—up to $100,000—between Oct. 11 and Dec. 31. We also launched “micro donation” opportunities through the AMA Community Foundation, including transaction top-ups and the chance to use novelty parking meters to make gifts of small change.
Other ways to contribute included a virtual food drive, online donations, in-person donations, and booking a free Community Mobilization Kit with all the tools needed to host a food drive. We also provided giving opportunities throughout the year, such as donation collection at AMA signature events like Car Care and Shredding.
With our members’ generous support, 2024 saw us lift Fill Our Fleet’s historical totals to a combined $1,471,638.43 and 385,951.34 lbs of food for Albertans in need.
A record number of Canadians don’t have enough to eat—and in Alberta alone, children represent a distressing 36% of food bank visits. To improve access to nutritious, fresh produce, we partnered with MicroHabitat to install an urban farm on the roof of AMA Edmonton South in summer 2024. Our small garden yielded 225 lbs of food, which supported Edmonton’s Food Bank, in addition to helping provide 60 meals to The Breakfast Club of Canada.
To empower our members with the same opportunity to give back, we created Harvesting Hope. Operated through the AMA Community Foundation, the initiative invited people to share their home-grown root vegetables with vulnerable Albertans. We provided free burlap sacks that could be filled and returned to AMA, then worked with community food banks to get that fresh food onto the tables of people in need.
Harvesting Hope inspired the donation of 70 bags of vegetables provincewide, totalling 1,390 lbs of food for Albertans facing food insecurity.
225 LBS
Our small garden yielded 225 lbs of food, which supported Edmonton’s Food Bank.
1,390 LBS
Harvesting Hope inspired the donation of 70 bags of vegetables provincewide, totalling 1,390 lbs of food for Albertans facing food insecurity.
One out of every three bites we eat is linked to a pollinator. Knowing the huge impact that these tiny creatures have on our food system, we developed a comprehensive Pollinator Program to engage and educate Albertans about their importance. We want Albertans to fall in love with nature, from the bees to the trees.
In 2024, we not only welcomed our millionth “AMA bee” but also made strides in education, fundraising, and support of Alberta’s native bee population. We installed our final 10 beehives, along with six bumblebee boxes; added pollinator-friendly landscaping to select centres; gave away seed packets to support native bees; and offered members, staff and School Garden Studio teachers more workshops to learn about the huge role these tiny creatures have in food security.
In its second year, our adopt-a-bee initiative also made meaningful inroads to supporting the AMA Community Foundation. Our $1/bee offer was a big hit with Albertans, with adoptions growing by five-and-half times what we saw the previous year. As of Dec. 1, 2024, this initiative has raised $31,202 in funds that will be funnelled back into the community through the Foundation.
Finally, we brought back our popular honey jars for the holidays, with proceeds supporting the Foundation. Made by our resident bees, the honey was sold with the dual purpose of fundraising and promoting awareness about AMA’s food security commitment. Fully 2,000 jars were made, 200 of which were donated to Edmonton’s Food Bank.
While the scale of these initiatives may seem small, their impact is significant when spread across a million members. It’s a touching example of the power of individual acts to make a difference for an entire community—and indeed an entire ecosystem.