Where does the leftover food from the Calgary Stampede go?

July 15, 2024 Canuck

The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth has come to an end once again, but with tons of food leftover, where does it go?

On Monday, the Stampede’s executive chef, Michael Sabourin, was working through several freezers and food containers — one of his crew’s final jobs as part of the Stampede.

“We have some products that we don’t need at the moment, so we’ve got an opportunity to put that together and donate,” Sabourin said.

Food rescue charity Second Harvest matches companies who have food they are trying to get rid of with community partners in need of it.

“I like to think of ourselves as the eHarmony of food rescue, so your donors and companies who have food, we match that up with community partners,” said Second Harvest’s head of operations, Jennifer McGlashan.

Second Harvest has paired the Stampede up with Community Kitchen.

On Monday, it made the first of two pickups from the Stampede grounds.

“This is huge. It’s a game-changer for our agencies,” said Sundae Nordin, CEO of Community Kitchen Calgary.

“They are getting produce … getting protein, getting dairy. These are things that these agencies have a hard time getting and we have a hard time getting donated.”

Community Kitchen will use it all for its Spinz-A-Round program, which provides food to 60 agencies.

The food comes from catered events at the BMO Centre, which Sabourin says would feed 2,000 to 3,000 people daily, and those eating at the Grandstand, which is approximately 25,000 meals.

He estimates there are more than 2,000 pounds of food that will be donated.

“We’re looking at some beef items, we have vegetables, we have pastries, we have salads, sandwiches,” Sabourin said.

“If we have meat, we’re going to be putting that together, possibly in sandwiches and salads, so that the community it’s going to, it’s already ready to go.”

For those who have been working some long hours, serving up food for the hundreds of thousands of visitors the Stampede brings in, this last dish is one they don’t mind working on.

“We’ve done our part. Everybody here has enjoyed the 10 days, and now we get to share with others that may have not been fortunate to enjoy our wonderful food,” Sabourin said.

Another pick-up will be done on July 18.

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