What is the Highlands East Food Hub?
The Highlands East Food Hub (opened in late 2015) is project designed to increase our ability to store more food on behalf of clients and partners of the food bank. The new facility serves as a regional food hub for the eastern part of our region in addition to assisting other organizations in Haliburton County. Through its increased storage capacity, it will draw incremental food support into Haliburton County through their partnerships with food organizations/suppliers in Bancroft, Peterborough and other members of the Ontario Association of Food Banks in that region.
This food will be used in the following ways:
- Provided to clients of the Cardiff and Wilberforce Food Banks.
- Shared with partner organizations in the region (e.g. Food For Kids)
- Prepared into meals by the community kitchen for distribution through the local food banks and shared with our
regional partners.
- Provided to visitors to our Community Drop-in Centre program (year 2) operating a 2-3 days a week.
- Taken home by participants of our community kitchen learning programs.
- Shared with other food banks (Haliburton, Minden) where applicable.
The Food Hub also stores and distributes food that is provided to them by other food banks within Haliburton County. For example, the food banks often have opportunities to access large quantities of food for free or at a substantial discount (e.g. potatoes, tomatoes etc). The opportunities also require the food banks to take a minimum order that is frequently in larger quantities for the current storage facilities or the types of storage (fridges/freezers for perishable items). Subsequently, these offers of food are often turned down. No more.
This food will be used in the following ways:
- Provided to clients of the Cardiff and Wilberforce Food Banks.
- Shared with partner organizations in the region (e.g. Food For Kids)
- Prepared into meals by the community kitchen for distribution through the local food banks and shared with our
regional partners.
- Provided to visitors to our Community Drop-in Centre program (year 2) operating a 2-3 days a week.
- Taken home by participants of our community kitchen learning programs.
- Shared with other food banks (Haliburton, Minden) where applicable.
The Food Hub also stores and distributes food that is provided to them by other food banks within Haliburton County. For example, the food banks often have opportunities to access large quantities of food for free or at a substantial discount (e.g. potatoes, tomatoes etc). The opportunities also require the food banks to take a minimum order that is frequently in larger quantities for the current storage facilities or the types of storage (fridges/freezers for perishable items). Subsequently, these offers of food are often turned down. No more.
Why a Food Hub?
- Provide better community driven services and programming to its clients and to the communities of Highlands East.
- Serve as a regional food and programming “hub” for other community organizations that have minimal storage/meeting facilities.
- Help establish a community kitchen program.
- Be in a position to take full advantage of OAFB food programs programs.
- Provide fresh produce and proteins to clients of both the Wilberforce and Cardiff Food Banks
- Provide a permanent home of the Wilberforce Food bank that has been relocated three times in the past two years.
- Provide programming, educational classes and events for all residents that will increase usage of the indoor and outdoor spaces of the Lloyd Watson Centre.
Building Partnerships and Capacity for all
Having two regional food hubs (Minden, Wilberforce), working together, on opposite sides of the County, will result in the following;
- Increased capacity to acquire and store food on behalf of their respective food bank clients and their community partners.
- Reduced food acquisition costs due to increased buying power and access to free food sources (farmers, OAFB, food rescue programs)
- Two convenient locations for distributors to deliver food.
Ontario Trillium Foundation approves $141,300 to build our Food Hub
November 25 2014 - Wilberforce, ON:
The Municipality of Highlands East, in partnership with the Wilberforce Food Bank, is proud to announce that the Ontario Trillium Foundation has agreed to invest $141,000 to build a new Food Hub in Wilberforce Ontario. The project will see the addition of a storage facility to the current Lloyd Watson Centre
as past of an overall plan to develop a food distribution and programming hub for the region. The new facility will also be a catalyst for the establishment of Community Kitchen programming, Community garden projects and educational workshops to benefit
the region.
The Municipality of Highlands East, in partnership with the Wilberforce Food Bank, is proud to announce that the Ontario Trillium Foundation has agreed to invest $141,000 to build a new Food Hub in Wilberforce Ontario. The project will see the addition of a storage facility to the current Lloyd Watson Centre
as past of an overall plan to develop a food distribution and programming hub for the region. The new facility will also be a catalyst for the establishment of Community Kitchen programming, Community garden projects and educational workshops to benefit
the region.
Important next step... taken
July 2 2014 - Wilberforce, ON:
we filed an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant application to help us move this much needed project forward. The application is a collaboration between the Wilberforce, Cardiff Food banks and the Municipality of Highlands East.
In addition to offering programming and additional food support for the local community, we will also be collaborating with the NEW Haliburton County Food Centre (in Minden) to better assist all residents of Haliburton County.
If successful with our application, we hope to have the NEW Wilberforce Food Centre open in the spring of 2015...wish us luck!
we filed an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant application to help us move this much needed project forward. The application is a collaboration between the Wilberforce, Cardiff Food banks and the Municipality of Highlands East.
In addition to offering programming and additional food support for the local community, we will also be collaborating with the NEW Haliburton County Food Centre (in Minden) to better assist all residents of Haliburton County.
If successful with our application, we hope to have the NEW Wilberforce Food Centre open in the spring of 2015...wish us luck!
