Food bank looking to build $8.5M, 35,000-square-foot new facility

By GILLIAN SLADE on August 14, 2019.

gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade

The Medicine Hat & District Food Bank has plans for a new facility with a location still to be determined.

The new 35,000 square-foot facility would be all encompassing, with many initiatives under one roof, and would be known as the Community Food and Wellness Centre, says executive director Celina Symmonds.

The new facility would expand food bank programming to include a place to prepare the “brown bag” lunch program, and kitchens where people can prepare food and even learn to cook. Food sustainability is also a big part with suitable gardens, a greenhouse and outdoor cooking facilities, says Symmonds.

The organization is open to partnering with other groups with an interest in the same goals, says Symmonds.

“It would not just be a place for people living in poverty but a place for everyone,” said Symmonds. “Anyone could come and learn to cook and you can pay what you can. Anyone could come for a meal and pay what you can. So it becomes a place where everyone is welcome to come together around food.”

Symmonds says the food bank has enough money to purchase land, and is looking at roughly an $8.5-million capital cost to complete the facility

One fundraising event has already been held, they are applying for grants and are in discussions with major donors, she said.

“We’ve looked at several places in the community and once we’ve decided on a location we would consult the community about that location,” said Symmonds, who expects the initial stages of the project to take place within a year or two.

“Hopefully very soon – finding a location,” she said. “We’ve been thinking about this project for quite some time.”