Carl DeLine

Community Health Minister Jim Dinning exhorted food industry operators Monday to give all their waste product to the Inter-Faith Food Bank or the Salvation Army.

Dinning, who represents the new Calgary Shaw riding, made the plea after touring the food bank’s new warehouse at 6408 1A St., near the Chinook LRT Station.

“I am concerned about the destitute people in this city,” he said. “I am here to do my bit, by asking people in the food industry who always have waste on their hands to put that waste to better use–the food bank will gladly pick it up.

“They’ve got a lot of shelves to stock in there.”

Dinning, who was shown around by food bank spokesman Carl DeLine, said he was impressed by the fact that the bank distributed about $3.5 million worth of food last year.

The minister also learned that in addition to stuffing hampers for about 150 families a day, the food bank turned over some of its supplies to the Salvation Army, which has had trouble stocking its own Christmas food hampers this season.

DeLine said the food bank, which has eight full-time employees and 300 volunteers, has so far operated without any government grants, not even wage subsidies for the employees.

Dinning also opened Alberta’s first women’s health centre in Calgary Monday, but he made no promise that the provincial government will save the Grace Hospital–where the centre is based–from closure.

He said he would like to see a partnership of health promotion agencies like the Calgary Board of Health help fund the centre out of existing budgets.

When a decision is made on the future of the Grade, he said, dollars would flow to support that future.

“As far as I’m concerned, the Grace Hospital has an important role to play in the community for many years ahead.”

He said he hoped centres like the Women’s Health Resource Unit, housed in a separate building on the Grace site, would eventually cut health care costs by promoting an awareness about health, not illness.

Maj. David Luginbuhl, executive director of the Grace, said the centre–which focuses on preventative health care–will cost $300,000 a year to run over the next five years.

Dr. Margaret Edwards, director of the Women’s Health Resource Unit, was confident the money will be found to keep the unit operating.

“The board has assured us they will not see this project falter,” she said.

Although the centre only opened Monday, Edwards has already had 450 phone calls enquiring about the unit.

Originally published December 16, 1986 by the Calgary Herald (Calgary, AB), credited to Dick Schuler and Robert Walker.