Built on the kitchen tradition of “family meal,” the platform lets Calgary food businesses offer end-of-day surplus to the organizations that feed people, at no cost to either side
CALGARY, AB, October 22, 2026 – Fin-Free C. Corp. today launched Mise: Family Meals, a free online platform that connects Calgary restaurants, bakeries and grocers that have end-of-day surplus with the food banks, shelters and meal programs that can use it.
The launch comes as demand for food support reaches new highs. Food Banks Canada’s HungerCount 2026 report, released October 21, recorded more than 2.35 million food bank visits in March 2026, up 8.7 per cent from a year earlier. In Alberta, nearly 10 per cent more people accessed food banks in March 2026 than a year earlier.
“In most kitchens I’ve worked in, and most kitchens anywhere, there’s a ritual called ‘family meal.’ Someone cooks for the team before the doors open, using leftovers that were destined for the trash,” said Sean Burton, founder of Mise Kitchen and a Red Seal chef. “Mise:
Family Meals carries that idea past the kitchen door.”
How it works
When a kitchen has surplus it can’t use, at close or any time during the day, it lists what’s available on Mise: Family Meals with how it has been stored and a pickup window. A nearby food bank, shelter or meal program claims what it can use, and the two arrange the pickup directly with each other. Organizations can also post what they need, so kitchens can see where their surplus will help most.
Partners are asked to weigh every drop-off, and the platform publishes the running total of weighed food rescued, so the impact is measured rather than estimated. Mise Kitchen does not buy, sell, store or transport food; it helps donors and receivers find each other, agree on pickups and record what was rescued. The platform is available in English and French.
Availability
Mise: Family Meals is free for both food businesses and community organizations. Calgary restaurants, bakeries, grocers, food banks, shelters and meal programs can create an account today at misefamilymeals.ca.