Finding a new home was considered “a wild dream” that the Moose Jaw and District Food Bank once thought was impossible, but that dream is now a reality after years of work.
The non-profit organization held a grand opening on Oct. 27 at its new location at 270 Fairford Street West, kitty-corner from its old location at 305 Fairford Street West.
Dozens of dignitaries, businesspeople and staff from other charities gathered to hear speeches and watch the ribbon cutting. Afterward, guests toured the venue and learned about its new features, such as a new board room, lobby, classroom, and offices.
The food bank held three major campaigns over the past 19 months to raise funds for the new building. The organization eventually acquired over $200,000 to help build a new lobby and renovate the main building.
A long-time coming
“Well, it was a long-time coming, but we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. We’re really excited about this opportunity that this new facility holds for Moose Jaw,” said development manager Jason Moore.
Interestingly, the building is 6,200 square feet in size, compared to 1,700 square feet at the previous venue.
This extra space is helpful because during the pandemic, the organization could not have volunteers, Moore said. Furthermore, physical distancing meant staff provided clients with food hampers outside, which was chilly in the winter.
Meanwhile, the food bank had to rent trailers to store food received during major food drives.
The new building gives the non-profit ample space to run volunteer programs and allow clients to come inside while providing them with better options, choices and dignity, Moore continued.
“And now within our new space, we can run any major food drive and store all the food indoors. We can have up to about 80 pallets of food inside now, versus our previous location, where we might have been able to store about seven or eight pallets,” he added.
Karen Dolan, an eight-year volunteer, thought the new building was excellent.
“We have been waiting for this for so long. You can’t compare the two,” she said.
Deann Little, the new client resource representative, agreed.
“(I’m) so excited to be in it. I’m excited to see what we can implement for programming and helping clients,” she added.
A dream come true
The Moose Jaw and District Food Bank began in October 1984 in the basement of the now-extinct Johnstone Block on Main Street North before moving to 305 Fairford Street West two years later, board member Daycee Richardson said during the ceremony.
The food bank and its partners initially helped 60 individuals and families because of the then-economic downturn. However, that number jumped into the hundreds, and over the years, the organization realized residents’ food needs were not going away.
In 2014, board members began talking about a new location to meet the needs of clients better.
“It was a wild dream, but we noticed this building, which was kitty-corner to our former location. We were curious about it,” Richardson said.
The building was not for sale, but the board members were allowed to peek inside. They found a foot of water, evidence of the building’s abandonment for nearly 20 years. The board members then discussed the issue during another meeting.
“We sat around the table, and we just felt like — it’s impossible. But what it did for us at that time is make us realize that we didn’t have the capacity yet to take on a project of this size … ,” she continued. “But it started good discussions about our vision and the need for convenience and the future.”
The team worked in 2019 to find a new venue, and after several years, succeeded in acquiring the new building in March 2021.
“The needs have not gone away. Nor has the generosity of our community towards those in need … ,” Richardson added. “We envision a healthy, hunger-free community with adequate, nutritious food accessible to all.”
