With more people using the Cambridge Food Bank than ever, the community organization is bursting at the seams and is ready to find a new home.
The food bank has been at its current location on Ainslie Street for the past 15 years. They have grown into a multifaceted organization that does more than just provide those in need with food, and now they are looking to move into a new space to accommodate the expanding needs of the community.
“We are really looking for a space that will allow us to consolidate all of our food storage and be in a central location for Galt, Preston and Hespeler,” says Jen Germann-Wright, capital campaign director for the food bank.
“We don’t want our customers to be lined up outside in the cold anymore, we need a larger space that fits our needs.”
The food bank's current facility offers them around 16,000 square feet of distribution and office space, but Wright said they are looking to double that. This would allow them to store even more food and save them on costs for storage at other locations.
“Our new building would be ideal at 32,000 square feet to accommodate all of our cooking programs and provide a bigger space for a commercial kitchen,” Wright says.
The food bank wants to have the kitchen be the heart of the operation, not in the top of the building behind five locked doors.
They have been on a mission to reduce as much food waste as possible and create a space where more cooks can be working with more resources, the less food will be wasted, Wright says.
The food bank will be launching a capital campaign to help raise money for their new location soon. This will be the first time the food bank has proactively asked for funding, Wright says.
The Ainslie Street building is currently owned by the City of Cambridge and the food bank rents the space from them. Since they are located directly across from the Ainslie Street bus terminal, the building is set to be used for the LRT once it comes to town.
The next step for Wright and her team is to negotiate with the city and quantify their support for the food bank. Once the city support is determined, they can set a goal for how much will be needed to raise to move the food bank into their new home.
The price tag for all of this will be in the millions, Wright estimates, but she is confident the city and community will be able to step up and help.
“Although the city has other plans for this building, they have been really great and have not put any pressure on us to get out,” Wright says. “We are working with them now to see what our options are.”
Wright expects the searching process to take about a year to locate a building, while the capital campaign will likely run for the next five years. This will give them enough time to raise money, find and create the perfect space for the Cambridge Food Bank.
In the past year, 2,000 people who have never used the food bank have accessed their services and over 40 per cent more food has been processed and distributed through their facility. This increase in users and need for donations has effectively maxed out their space.
“We are constantly juggling food, we are storing food in every crevice of our building” says Diane McLeod, executive director for the food bank. “Right now, we have food leaving as fast as it comes in, but the demand is just so high.”
A larger space will not only help with distributing and sorting food, but with the many programs designed to help at-risk youth, a bigger space would go a long way in accommodating these services.
Wright says there are over 500 youth that participate in online sessions to learn about healthy food choices and cooking at home. The food bank and their partners have given out waffle makers, blenders and food to these children as a starting point to implement what they learn.
“We would probably stay in a hybrid situation with online learning and in-person to be as inclusive as possible,” she says. “But a larger space would give us the freedom to pack it with children and their families to give practical and educational support.”
The food bank offers much more than canned and non-perishable food; they offer a place for community to gather as well as counselling services through Porchlight Counselling and Addiction Services, formerly known as Family Counselling Centre of Cambridge and North Dumfries.
“There are so many grandparents unexpectedly raising children due to the opioid crisis and other issues. We offer a space for the grandparents to come in and learn some tips and talk with counsellors as well as give the children a space to have fun and work with the youth counselling team,” said Wright.
This is the next step for the food bank as they look at continuing to be a focal point for community services in the city.
“We look forward to providing for the many community organizations in the city and running these programs as long as possible, but in a larger capacity,” said Wright.
