New food bank facility aims to address the growing hunger issue

The number of families visiting the Burlington Food Bank has almost tripled in the last five years, executive director Robin Bailey said yesterday at a press conference announcing the plans for the charity's new facility at 1280 Mainway Drive.

Starting in October, the 12,911-square-foot space will be used as a distribution centre and hub for regional cooperation.

"When I first came to the Burlington Food Bank five and a half years ago, we were serving about 12 families a day," Bailey said. "Now we are serving about 30-35. But really what has happened over the last little while, is our board has gained a different vision. It's beyond just serving individual families but about how can we serve beyond that and have a bigger impact in the City of Burlington and going into Oakville and all of Halton."

Bailey said the Burlington Fodd Bank had looked to some bigger food banks to find best practices to run more efficiently, such as North York Harvest Food Bank and Mississauga Food Bank.

With the new facility, Burlington Food Bank will partner with other organizations like Kerr Street Mission, Compass Point, Open Doors at St. Christopher and Wellington Square.

And he thanked the food bank's dedicated volunteers for keeping operations running smoothly.

Burlington Food Bank board chair Maria Thornton said establishing a hub for the Halton region has been a goal of the organization for many years.

"As Burlington is growing we will be able to assist all of the community of Halton," she said. "Hunger is a hidden issue in most communities, but by developing the hub concept, it will bring together organizations, working together in the food insecurity industry to help bring more awareness to the region about what hunger in Halton really looks like."

Halton Regional Council Chair Gary Carr recalled that early in his own political career in the 1990s, then Ontario Premier Bob Rae had a goal of eliminating food banks. But over 30 years later, the scale of food security has only grown.

People should not become cynical, he added, but rather continue to get involved. He asked everyone to help in the development the Regional Council's next strategic plan.

"I know that we in Halton region, if we do it correctly with all our partners, can really have an impact," he said.

Amanda King of Feed Ontario, formerly known as the Association of Ontario Food Banks, said the organization now oversees more than 140 food banks and 1,100 affiliate hunger relief organizations in the province.

"If there is one thing that we know it is that together we are greater than the sum of our equal parts," King said. "Collaboration is so essential to the work food banks do and what we are seeing here today is what can be accomplished when food banks and other organizations, partners and their communities are working together."

Last year, the Burlington Food Bank helped 20,420 individuals as demand for their services soared over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current Burlington Food Bank, located at 1254 Plains Rd. East, will continue to operate as the pickup location for clients of the Burlington Food Bank, serving out of the west end of the city and open to all residents of Burlington. The new Mainway distribution facility will be used to serve the Plains Road East location but also to expand the organization's ability to help the wider network of food security solutions across the City of Burlington and the Region of Halton.

The new distribution centre was developed and supported by Melrose Investments. The food bank is currently looking for local Burlington community partners to help equip and stock the new facility, which they will take possession of in October.