The effect of inflation, adjustments to support systems for marginalized people and the fact that one in five young people live in poverty is a “perfect storm,” says Laurie O’Connor, executive director of the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Center. .
Those demanding situations illustrate more than ever the importance of the organization’s planned expansion, he said Thursday as the food bank officially unveiled its first fundraising campaign. The purpose is to raise the $12 million needed to build a new location near Pleasant Hill and West. Commercial areas.
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We are already almost 70 percent of the total.
The increased demand for the food bank has put pressure on its Riversdale location; Having operations in multiple locations has been a challenge.
Each month, about 23,000 people rely on the organization, said campaign chairman Chris Reynolds.
Almost a fraction of the other people who count on the emergency food baskets are children.
“To address those urgent issues and better serve the community, we have stepped forward,” O’Connor said.
The task will involve the demolition of two existing structures and the construction of a structure in the 400 block of P Avenue South. Prairie Wild Consulting and Wapiti Research will help manage the task; The architecture firm AODBT will design the new facilities. Wright Construction decided to build.
With less than $4 million to raise, the food bank made the official announcement of its Thursday at its existing home on C Avenue South in Riversdale.
In July 2022, the food bank announced a fundraiser for its new location and secured a $2. 5 million donation from Nutrien Ltd.
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Since then, the fundraiser has been conducted “quietly,” the organization said Thursday. This great contribution is a catalyst to “move forward with confidence” in the development of plans and the progression of the new site and campaign.
Alden Moskotaywenene, now deputy warehouse director for the food bank, said he first arrived there as a visitor in July 2019. The father of three attended a data session, which marked the start of his journey.
Moskotaywenene graduated from the Creating Opportunities program. After months as a participant, she earned a call to a COVID first responder there.
“Now I feel like I’m on the right track, thanks to this amazing place,” he said.
The crusade volunteer team is led by crusade president Chris Reynolds, executive vice president and president of Potash at Nutrien. Reynolds said the budget raised so far has been a result of community generosity.
“Prestige quo is an option,” Reynolds said.
The food bank has indicated in the past that it needs the new location, equipped with a network of greenhouses, classroom and workplace spaces, and landscaped gardens, to be ready for use by 2025.
O’Connor told the media that moving to a new facility had been discussed for about a decade.
The food bank operates a downtown garden, a clothing warehouse on a block adjacent to the main building, as well as more space for freezers and garages. O’Connor said it’s vital to create a network hub to offer systems to others who love them in a more respectful way.
“We need to invite the network to join us on our journey,” he said.
Moving to the Pleasant Hill domain is a wonderful concept for the organization, he added. The new construction will be on a domain south of St. John’s Hospital. Paul.
The food bank began in 1983 as a transitional assignment in the basement of St. Thomas Wesley moved to its current location in 1990 and the building is long gone, saying “it’s full”.
The new facilities will improve the quality and quantity of food, thanks to a garage more suitable for dry, refrigerated and frozen products. It will more than double the existing 21,000-square-foot floor space and serve as administration. , sending and receiving centre for Saskatchewan’s 36 food banks.
According to the organization, the new facility will also allow for “deeper connections with customers” through a designated reception area. Providing food baskets adapted to culture and diet is a key goal.
tjames@postmedia. com
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