Starting May 1st, the Moose Jaw & District Food Bank will be led by its first-ever executive director in its 40th year after the non-profit underwent a restructuring operation that transformed its board of directors from a managerial into a governance role earlier this year.
The new position will be filled by Jason Moore, who has previous experience at the food bank in his prior role as development manager back in July 2020.
“I really love (business) development,” Moore said when asked what he looks forward to most.
“I love the challenges that this position can hold as far as achieving our goal (which is) to end hunger in our community,” he said. “And I’m looking forward to creating (new) programs that will help us meet our ends.”
One of Moore’s biggest challenges will be the growing number of clients as grocery prices and inflation continue to soar and food banks across the country face the trend of increased demand.
The board’s decision to restructure came as a result of this consideration.
“They just saw the need to maybe have a refresher and think (about) how we do operations and how we can expand our programs,” Moore explained.
“And so, we realized,” he continued, “with that increase (in demand)… maybe there’s something more we can do for our community…”
Moore is originally from Ontario, but moved to Moose Jaw when he was younger and graduated from Central Collegiate. Before the pandemic, Moore had moved out of town but returned when COVID-19 hit along with his immediate family to be closer to his parents and brothers in Moose Jaw.
One of Moore’s early achievements was the pivotal role he played in relocating the food bank to its current location on Fairford Street West.
Moore then took a temporary leave to work on other projects within the community until he came across the posting for an executive director position at the food bank.
“I saw a great opportunity to come back and continue development (on new and ongoing programs), and I’m really excited to be here,” he said. “Our staff here is amazing, and all our staff roles will stay on,” he continued, alluding to the possibility of hiring additional staff in the future.
Although Moore stated the need for some changes at the local food bank, it’s still too early to confirm any details as he’s only been in the new role for 10 days at this time.
“I don’t want to say too much because it’s (still) in the development stages,” he said, noting that his job is to “create a new vision for how we operate, how we do things, and our (range of) programming.”
Moore’s first duty is to assess the impact of the food bank and its current programs, dig deep for fresh ideas, and to learn how best to target the root causes of food insecurity in the community.
“When I came to work for the food bank as a development manager back in 2020, I discovered very quickly how generous and supportive… Moose Jaw is, and how caring we are for the people that live here,” he said.
“And so, I just want to give a big thank you to Moose Jaw for all of its support,” he continued.
“I look forward to serving our community in this capacity and working with our community to develop partnerships and programs that will benefit (us all) and the people that we serve.”
The Moose Jaw & District Food Bank is located at 270 Fairford Street West and can be reached at 306-692-2911. For more information, visit MJFoodBank.org or follow ‘Moose Jaw and District Food Bank’ on Facebook.
