‘Feeding your neighour’: Regina Food Bank set to open new downtown location

The Regina food bank has officially secured a new location to help create a new food hub in downtown Regina.

On Tuesday, the Government of Saskatchewan announced the Regina Food Bank would be purchasing the former SLGA building at 1881 Broad St. for $750,000.

The new location will act as a choice-based model for users of the food bank.

“When you walk into the space, it’ll be more akin to a grocery experience,” said John Bailey, Regina Food Bank CEO.

“There will still be no charge for folks to access it, but rather than our traditional way of getting food to folks, which would be it hampers, there will be shelves and aisles stocked with food where folks can process and pick the product they need to suit their dietary demands and tastes.”

The current food bank location on Winnipeg Street will continue to operate as normal and will still act as the shipping hub for the city.

“It will be the primary point for our door-to-door delivery,” Bailey said.

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The food bank hopes the new location downtown will allow for more community outreach and deeper connections with other not-for-profits in the city.

“It actually creates a 110 per cent greater access to folks who use our service,” Bailey said, referencing the proximity of people who use the food bank as well as transportation hubs in the area as two big factors for reaching more people.

Bailey said the condition of the building, which is currently in pretty good shape, and the location, are two reasons the team chose to purchase the spot.

“The bones of the building are really fantastic,” he said. “A lot of the interior is going to have to be redone again to update, modernize and make sure it’s welcoming and also make sure it’s sort of energy efficient.”

While there is currently no date set for the opening of the new location, Bailey said they are currently in the process of designing and revitalizing the space to fit the food bank’s needs.

“When you’re talking about feeding our community, it really is about feeding your neighbour,” Bailey said. “Everybody has a part to play in that and we think this location is really going to help us with that.”