The Moose Jaw & District Food Bank is in the market for real estate, as the organization launches a summer fundraising campaign to help raise money for the move to a new, bigger location.
The goal is to raise $100,000 over this summer, in order to relocate the food bank and its services from where the organization currently resides on Fairford Street West, to a more spacious location where employees and volunteers are better equipped to serve clients.
The decision to seek a bigger operation space has been in the works for a while, said development manager Deann Little, and the ongoing social distancing requirements in place due to the pandemic have prompted the organization to seriously shorten the project’s timeline.
Currently, the Moose Jaw & District Food Bank has clients waiting outside to pick up hampers, as the reception area is too small to properly physically distance. The system is working fine for now, as summer settles in, but won’t be feasible in the colder temperatures during fall and winter.
The current space is also too small for volunteers to properly physically distance while in the warehouse, said Little, which means they are unable to help sort through food items.
“We are no longer able to have volunteers in our warehouse because there isn’t enough room, (and) without volunteers we can’t sort through all the donations we receive on a daily basis,” said Little.
The food bank is also dealing with a shortage of storage space in general, to a point where it has had to turn away donations because it lacks the space needed to accept them.
“We have changed the inside of our building here as much as possible, to make it the most feasible use of our space. We’ve accessed every area and now it’s just that we’ve outgrown this location,” said Little.
Being able to move into a larger building would open lots of new opportunities for the food bank, said Little. Not only would more storage space mean more availability for donations, but the idea is to also install more cold storage space for perishable items.
“With more storage space, we will be able to source and distribute more food, reaching hundreds more of our community's most vulnerable and at-risk citizens,” said Little.
The food bank is also interested in being able to expand its services, and offer more in the way of food accessibility sources and education.
“We feel that we could do more and that we must do more to meet the needs of our community,” said Little. “Just giving away food is no longer enough. Families need help understanding how to use resources available to them, and with a new space we dream of providing educational programming to help clients maximize their food and finances.”
The Moose Jaw & District Food Bank is actively keeping an eye on potential spaces in the city for the big move, and it is hoping to raise the funds necessary before fall arrives and brings with it colder weather.
The goal of moving into a new building will take some help and support from the community, so Little is hoping to see Moose Jaw join the cause with as much enthusiasm as past food bank projects.
For now, the best way to help is financial, said Little. Thanks to physical distancing, the easiest way to contribute is by donating to the food bank either online through its website, or by mailing a cheque donation to their location at 305 Fairford Street West. They are also able to accept e-transfer donations, sent to endhunger@mjfoodbank.org.
Once there is a new space and the money to acquire it, the food bank will also be looking for volunteers to help with the move, as well as help to purchase and install a new walk-in fridge and freezer system in the new location.
After 29 years in their Fairford Street location, the Moose Jaw & District Food Bank is certainly looking forward to their next step forward thanks to the help of their community.
