What is the Highlands East Food Hub?

(Wilberforce Food Bank)

The Highlands East Food Hub opened in late 2015 and is designed to increase our food storage on behalf of clients and partners of the food bank. The facility serves as a food bank and a regional food hub for the eastern part of Haliburton County - sharing food donations with surrounding food banks and food programs in Haliburton County, Hastings County and beyond!

We are grateful for the support of Feed Ontario, Kawartha Food Share and Kawartha Lake Food Source for their seemingly endless support in linking us with bulk food donations!

WE store & distribute food

Food from the Highlands East Food Hub is used in the following ways:
  • Distributed to clients of the Cardiff and Wilberforce food banks
  • Shared with surrounding food organizations in the region 
  • Shared or "traded" with other food banks when surplus food is obtained
  • Used for cooking meals in the Highlands East Food Hub by our Community Cooks

The Highlands East Food Hub stores and distributes food that is provided to them by various suppliers, donors and food banks. For example, food banks often have opportunities to access large quantities of food for free or at a substantial discount. 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 service to our clients and to the communities in Highlands East.
  • Serve as a regional food hub in order to accept larger donations of food, particularly perishable items.
  • Help establish a Community Cooks program to help empower kids to enjoy a healthy diet.
  • Be in a position to take full advantage of Feed Ontario food programs.
  • Provide fresh produce and proteins to members of both the Wilberforce and Cardiff Food Banks.
  • Provide a permanent home for the Wilberforce Food Bank.

the building of the highlands east food hub

November 25, 2014: ​Ontario Trillium Foundation approves $141, 300 to build our food hub

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 part 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.

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Territorial Acknowledgement
​
Central Food Network’s work is carried out upon the traditional homelands, waterways and hunting ground of the Anishinaabeg, Métis and historically, the Huron-Wendat, under the Williams Treaties of 1923 and Treaty 20 of 1818. Central Food Network respects the sovereignty, lands, histories, languages, knowledge systems, and cultures of First Nations, Métis and Inuit nations. ​
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Mailing Address:  PO Box 213, Wilberforce, Ontario  K0L 3C0
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