‘Try to save’: Non-profits and food co-ops offer grocery deals, discounts

In some cities, non-profits and food co-ops are giving people alternative options as they look to change their shopping habits and cut down on their bills.

Many Canadians these days are looking for ways to save money on their groceries. In some cities, non-profits and food co-ops are giving people alternative options as they look to change their shopping habits and cut down on their bills. Here’s a look at what some organizations are doing:

The weekly fruit and vegetable market set up on Mondays in Montreal’s Pointe-St-Charles neighbourhood looks like any other small grocery store. Customers chat with volunteers as they fill their baskets with cauliflower, potatoes and leafy greens.

It’s at the checkout where things are different. Here, pricing works on a three-tier sliding scale.

The pay-what-you-can market is an initiative of Share the Warmth, which also operates a food bank and provides other community services in the city’s southwest.

Kimber Fellows, the organization’s director of philanthropic development and communications, says the market was developed to “fill a gap” identified after surveys of food bank users showed many wanted more fresh produce in their diets but had only a few dollars a week to spend on such items.

She says the rising cost of living has forced many to reduce their spending on fresh, healthy food because it’s not a fixed cost like rent or electricity.

“It’s one of the only areas where they can try to save. So we see a lot of families that are forced to shop at the dollar store or buy things that are, maybe, rich in carbs but low in nutrients,” she says.

“That’s why it’s really important for organizations like us to be able to increase access to healthy food.”