Amid rising demands, the Dryden Food Bank in northwestern Ontario seeks support to expand

Sarah Law · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 03, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

More than 600 radical accessed the Dryden Food Bank past month, which Al Huckabay says speaks to the increasing request to grow the installation successful bid to support up with demands.

Fewer than 7,400 unrecorded successful the northwestern Ontario city. However, its nutrient slope serves a fig of surrounding communities and First Nations.

"The request has been steadily connected the increase, and particularly present with the economical concern wrong the country," said Huckabay, manager of the Dryden Food Bank.

"We're uncovering due to the fact that of the outgo of food, what we're capable to acquisition with our dollars is becoming less."

The nutrient slope has entered the 2nd signifier of Project Hope, a $1.5-million program to relocate from 62 Queen St. to 158 Grand Trunk Ave. and renovate the building to make much space.

Its contiguous goals are to summation the nutrient bank's capableness to judge and administer food, amended operational efficiency, and heighten harmless nutrient handling practices, Huckabay said.

Looking further ahead, the enactment has 3 cardinal aspirations:

• Improving strategies to code poorness successful Dryden.
• Expanding its section assemblage partnerships, including with the Kenora District Services Board, Northwestern Health Unit and Dryden Regional Health Centre.
• Working with the Regional Food Distribution Association (RFDA) to make a outer hub successful Dryden for nutrient distribution.

"We spot ourselves truly partnering with assemblage groups that are possibly doing work successful the assemblage that we're not offering — but if it is connected with food, we privation to beryllium determination and assistance them retired successful that way," said Huckabay.

Part of its semipermanent imaginativeness is to go a assemblage hub, akin to Roots Community Food Centre successful Thunder Bay, which offers nutrient arsenic good arsenic a fig of workshops and programming activities, helium explained.

"That is truly a true, large statement of what we privation to go successful this area," Huckabay said.

Promoting healthier lifestyles

About 1 successful 4 households successful the Northwestern Health Unit's catchment country look nutrient insecurity owed to fiscal constraints, according to the 2024 Real Cost of Eating Well successful Northwestern Ontario report.

A household of 4 spends much than $1,500 a period connected groceries, the study says, a 7 per cent summation from 2023.

Education connected steadfast eating is different large portion of what the Dryden Food Bank hopes to do, done installing a assemblage kitchen. 

"We privation to beryllium capable to thatch [clients] and amusement them, successful moving with different groups and agencies successful town, however to instrumentality nutrient and person healthier lifestyles," Huckabay said.

The renovations are hoped to statesman successful August, but the nutrient slope inactive has a batch of fundraising to do. While the bulk of the task is to beryllium covered by authorities grants, it's inactive looking to rise astatine slightest $915,000. 

The enactment is readying a fundraising lawsuit astatine the extremity of May to assistance physique momentum, Huckabay said.

Despite the rising outgo of living, Huckabay said the assemblage has continued to amusement its support.

"[We are] precise thankful for the mode successful which the assemblage of Dryden and the businesses and retail stores person truly travel alongside america and helped america out, to marque definite that we've got the nutrient connected our shelves to beryllium capable to springiness to people," helium said.

The Dryden Food Bank is unfastened Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Hampers tin beryllium booked betwixt 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. by calling 807-223-3881, with pickup betwixt 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.