New downtown Regina Food Bank food hub in the works

With the need for services on the rise, the Regina Food Bank is hoping a centralized location will be able to help the cause.

Regina Food Bank CEO John Bailey said the organization is looking to purchase the former Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority building located on Broad Street at 12th Avenue.

“What we’ve been seeing pre-pandemic and certainly highlighted by the pandemic and then coming out in the inflationary environment we are in, the demand for our services has been going up, up and up,” Bailey said Wednesday. “This area will increase access by about 108 per cent.

“This wasn’t the only spot we looked at, but this was the best spot we looked at.”

Bailey said the food hub will be a new place for the food bank to connect with people who need its services.

“(It’s) where we as a food bank can not only offer support and a greater sense of choice for the folks seeking the support of the food bank, but also a place for us to connect and bring together resources that will help stem the tide of food insecurity by providing empowerment and connection program and put it into a centralized location where people can access it easily,” Bailey said.

The sale hasn’t been finalized yet, with Bailey saying the food bank still needs board approval to put the finishing touches on the deal.

“We have an agreement with SLGA. There are a couple of steps before (it’s done),” Bailey said. “It’s just part of the governance process. Our board has been supporting this and working with us every step of the way.”

Once the food bank gets control of the building, Bailey said it will take about 12 to 18 months to get it renovated for what the food bank wants to use it for.

Bailey said the scale of the service they want to provide from this new location is unique in Canada.

“The scale we are talking about will be the first in Canada. What we see are pockets of this type of programming that happens half a day a week or a day or two a week and we’re looking at doing food distribution with this model five days a week,” Bailey said.

“Hopefully when we get our programming in line, (we’ll) have our doors open seven days a week when we get everything fully ramped up and sort of doing it at a scale that hasn’t been seen across Canada.”

The current Winnipeg Street location will remain open; the new site is an addition to the work that happens there as well.

With the calendar set to turn to December, Bailey said the food bank is heading into its Hampers of Hope program.

“In addition to our normal provisions, we’re providing a holiday supper and holiday breakfast for folks who sign up, so that registration is going on right now,” Bailey said. “If folks want to support, the best way to do it through the holiday season is through monetary donations. We can turn every dollar into three meals.

“Donations of time help and if folks are looking to donate food, there’s collection bins at all the major grocery stores.”