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Early stage partnerships between researchers and community organizations are laying the groundwork for new approaches to health equity, thanks to the ’s Community Catalyst Awards.

This year’s awards support projects that bring together lived experience, community expertise and academic research to address complex social and health challenges from food insecurity and mental health access, to diabetes prevention and child-welfare transitions. The awards are delivered through O’Brien’s , part of the .  

With strong demand for these awards, additional Community Catalyst Awards will be supported through the O’Brien Institute’s Giving Day initiative.

runs from April 9 – 23, and all eligible gifts made to the University of Calgary will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $2,500 per gift, while matching funds last. 

Among the funded projects is a study examining how community supports beyond food assistance help families move beyond short-term crisis support.

Looking beyond food to networks of care

Led by undergraduate student Alexis Espanioli under the supervision of , PhD, Building Networks of Care: A Qualitative Study on Community and Wraparound Supports in Emergency Food Assistance Programs focuses on the program run by (BB4CK).

The research asks: What helps families experiencing food insecurity build lasting stability and connection beyond access to food alone?

“When people hear emergency food assistance, they often think only about food,” says Espanioli, a fourth-year Bachelor of Health Sciences (Health and Society) student. “But food insecurity is deeply connected to broader systems including income, housing, employment and social policies. This project is really about understanding how community and social connection fit into that picture.” 

Espanioli became involved in the project after volunteering with BB4CK and was drawn to its community-engaged, qualitative approach. Her earlier work reviewing the academic literature revealed a gap: while food-assistance programs are widely studied, there is limited research examining how peer support, social connection and community-driven networks contribute to longer-term well-being for families.

“That gap really shaped the direction of my honours thesis,” she says. “We’re interested in what kinds of natural, community-based supports are most effective, and how programs can intentionally support families to build those connections beyond the formal program itself.”

A program designed with dignity and choice

BB4CK’s Family Grocery Card – Moving Forward Together program was developed following lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, when school closures disrupted the organization’s long-standing school-based meal programs.

Instead of providing food directly, the program offers grocery cards to families, giving them autonomy and choice. Families can decide where to shop and what to purchase and select food that is culturally appropriate and meets their dietary needs.

“What we learned very clearly is that dignity matters,” says Miriam Bankey, family engagement and evaluation team lead at BB4CK. “Dignity isn’t just about choice, it’s about being recognized as deserving that choice.”

The program is structured around overlapping cohorts, allowing families nearing the end of their participation to mentor those entering the program. For families who choose to participate, BB4CK also offers optional community gatherings, peer connections and support navigating other services, what the research team refers to as “wraparound supports.”

“If you don’t have money, you often can’t participate in community life,” Bankey says. “And, if you can’t participate, you can become isolated. Creating opportunities for connection if families want them is a really important part of this work.”

Research shaped by lived experience

Central to the project is a co-designed research approach that actively involves families and people with lived experience, not only as participants but as collaborators. 

Through BB4CK’s Peer Advisory Council, former program participants help shape the research questions, review interview guides and co-conduct interviews alongside Espanioli. Council members are compensated for their time and expertise.

“There’s a phrase that’s really guided this work: ‘Nothing for us without us,’” Espanioli says. “Families aren’t passive subjects in this research. They’re partners, helping us ask better questions and ensuring the research reflects real needs.”

For BB4CK, partnering with researchers is about challenging how food insecurity is understood.

“Food insecurity is often framed as an individual failure, when it’s actually an income and systems issue,” says Thana El-Sallabi, data and evaluation co-ordinator at BB4CK. “Working with the research team allows us to build evidence that speaks to those broader realities and helps shift the conversation beyond food alone.”

Supporting students and future impact

The Community Catalyst Award supports Espanioli’s honours research and helps strengthen the long-standing partnership between BB4CK and UCalgary. 

From BB4CK’s perspective, involving students in community-engaged research is a key part of building future capacity.

“We see students as learners in our space,” El-Sallabi says. “They’re here to learn from families who are experts in their own lives. That shift in power and recognizing lived experience as expertise is really important.”

For Espanioli, the experience has shaped both her academic work and her understanding of research.

“This project has taught me the importance of reflexivity — being aware of power, positionality and the need to show up with humility,” she says. “It’s made me a better researcher and, honestly, a better person.”

The research was one of nine projects to receive funding through the Health Equity Hub’s Community Catalyst Awards.

Community Catalyst Award projects

An intersectoral, partnered, iterative co-design of a culinary medicine curriculum for preventing diabetes by enhancing food skills among people living in supportive and transitional housing 
Applicant: Dr. David J.T. Campbell, MD, PhD 
Community partners: Calgary Diabetes Advocacy Committee; The Alex; YW Calgary; Carya

Understanding the availability of, access to, and experiences of no-cost mental health supports in Calgary 
Applicant: Tessa Penich  
Community partner: Vibrant Communities Calgary 
(In partnership with W21C Research and Innovation Centre)

Evaluating use of a decision-support tool to understand level of care needed when transitioning children with complex needs out of residential care 
Applicant: Dr. David Lindenbach, PhD 
Community partner: Hull Services

Nurture Her: Building community-based models for women’s health equity 
Applicant: Bethel Tekle, Dr. Erin Brennand, MD 
Community partner: Women’s Centre of Calgary

Radical doula care for improving maternal mental health 
Applicant: Dr. Tiffany Boulton, PhD 
Community partner: Canada–U.S. academic and doula network partners 

Reducing health misinformation and improving access to affirming care for trans and gender-diverse communities 
Applicant: Dr. Katherine Rittenbach, PhD 
Community partner: Skipping Stone Foundation

Community-led research to improve care and understanding of endometriosis 
Applicant: Dr. Amy Johnston, PhD 
Community partner: To be confirmed (early stage partnership)

Accessing research evidence outside of academia: development of an online research repository template 
Applicant: Dr. Zack Marshall, PhD 
Community partner: Calgary Catholic Immigration Society and Habitus Collective

Building networks of care: A qualitative study on community and wraparound supports in emergency food assistance programs 
Applicant: Dr. Meaghan Edwards, PhD, (supervisor), Alexis Espanioli (student researcher) 
Community partner: Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids