Peter Sinclair, flanked by minister for social development and poverty reduction and Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog, at a funding announcement on Thursday, May 18. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

new warehouse

‘Monumental day’ for Nanaimo Loaves and Fishes with $7M in provincial funding

May 18, 2023 | 11:35 AM

NANAIMO — A significant funding injection from the province will help ensure food security for thousands on Vancouver Island.

Seven million dollars in money from the B.C. Government will go to Loaves and Fishes Community Food Bank for construction of their new warehouse facility on East Wellington Rd. near Bowen Rd.

Nanaimo MLA and minister for social development and poverty reduction Sheila Malcolmson said during the announcement on Thursday, May 18, food security is a “real challenge for many people” with many food banks seeing a significant increase in their usage.

“The price of housing, global inflation, terribly increased costs of food have put pressures on everybody…but also the food serving organizations like Loaves and Fishes, the cost of food for them has put really intense and additional pressure on their operations.”

A development permit was issued earlier this week for the East Wellington Rd. site, which the organization hopes will lead to a building permit awarded within a year.

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The nearly 30,000 square foot facility will become the headquarters for Loaves and Fishes, which have extended their operations well beyond the central Island and regularly serve and work with other organizations up and down Vancouver Island.

Loaves and Fishes executive director Peter Sinclair hopes construction can start within a year for a new East Wellington Rd. depot to be located beside the Canada Post facility. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Food recovery and storage operations will be a main part of the facility, along with processing for container recycling and office space.

Peter Sinclair, executive director of Loaves and Fishes, said the funding was a “monumental day” for the organization.

“Historically food banking has been defined around scarcity but we have discovered that food banking can actually be about abundance. There is lots of food out there, there just needs to be infrastructure in place with the appropriate systems to make sure that food does not end up in the landfill.”

He praised partnerships with government and community organizations for their ability to grow and serve more people.

Sinclair added they chose to have the problem of an abundance of food, rather than the problem of there not being enough.

“[Recently]…we had access to over 200 pallets of nacho chips, we were able to accept 90 of those pallets. What you do with 90 pallets of nacho chips is a challenge, it is a problem, but we will take that problem every single day over the problem of not having enough.”

While the $7 million cash injection from the province is a key commitment, Sinclair said the estimated cost of the new warehouse is $11.5 million.

He said about $5 million is required to build the facility.

“We believe with the momentum with partnership with the CIty of Nanaimo, the regional district and now the province that we continue that momentum to get the support from the federal government to make sure that this warehouse comes to fruition in a timely manner.”

Sinclair said Nanaimo-Ladysmith NDP MP Lisa Marie Barron has been contacted to tour the future enhanced food bank depot site.

Loaves and Fishes is currently run out of a roughly 6,000-square-foot facility on Fry St.

The valued non-profit organization went from processing around $800,000 worth of food in 2012 to roughly $7.5 million last year.

Sinclair estimated upwards of 3,000 people in the Nanaimo area and 15,000 people across Vancouver Island are fed monthly by Loaves and Fishes.

The City of Nanaimo bought the East Wellington Rd. lot late in 2021 to allow Loaves and Fishes to advance the project. It’s located immediately next to a Canada Post office and sorting facility.

The rear of the building would be reserved for office space and food distribution, allowing people walk or drive up and get what they need. (Saywell Contracting Ltd/Alvin Reinhard Fritz Architect)

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