REGINA — It’s been a year since the Regina Food Bank opened the Asahtowikamik Food Hub.
The hub is similar to a grocery store, where individuals or families can make appointments and access a variety of food on hand.
“We've been able to provide right around 13,000 points of service in our first year,” said Regina Food Bank CEO John Bailey.
Bailey said the food bank is proud that it’s been able to maintain its promises for the hub.
“We’ve provided dignity, a choice of selection, and maintained a vibrant space.”
On average, a few thousand pounds of food is taken by families or individuals daily. To re-supply stock, the food bank makes two to three trips a week to the hub.
“We always want food on hand rather than sort of stockpiling it and letting it go in more of a slow drip fashion.”
Anyone who accesses the hub takes home anywhere from 7 to 10 days' worth of food. Bailey said people or families are allowed access to the hub once every two weeks.
The hub is allowing roughly 3,000 more people to have access to the food bank, according to their recent numbers.
Bailey said geography played a role in creating a barrier for some to access the food bank.
When choosing the site, data showed that people living within a few blocks of the hub's chosen location would see a 180 per cent increase in accessibility.
Bailey also mentioned breaking down literacy barriers and wheelchair barriers with the hub.
Looking ahead, Bailey mentioned increasing the number of points of service to between 15,000 and 17,000 next year.
The food bank is also looking at increasing pop-up locations and expanding delivery services.
As for opening a second food hub, Bailey didn’t rule out the possibility but said there are no immediate plans for it.
