Food bank opens doors at new, bigger location
New food bank in Kelowna almost twice size of old one and allows users to ‘shop’ for what they need
The Central Okanagan Community Food Bank has officially opened its new Kelowna location, featuring a grocery store-style marketplace.
“This has been a community project years in the making and has been the result of a lot of hard work from our food bank team,” said Lenetta Parry, the food bank’s executive director.
The food bank took possession of the new property on Enterprise Way last May.
Its former site on Ellis Street was 10,000 square feet, while the new space is 19,000 square feet.
The food bank’s cold storage capacity has tripled, to 1,200 square feet from 400 square feet.
“When we purchased the property, it fit all of our criteria in terms of size, features, location (and) visibility,” said Parry. “However, the building was a shell and it required extensive renovations for us to operate safely. It’s been a busy year getting the renovations done so we could open.”
The new location is not only bigger but will offer a better experience for users of the food bank, said Parry.
“In our previous location, clients were given pre-built hampers, but now the experience for our clients is more like a grocery store, so our clients are able to come and grab a grocery cart and go up and down the aisles,” she said. “They are able to pick and choose the things they want and need and feel better about the experience of coming down here. I think it improves self-worth and confidence among our clients.”
The Central Okanagan Community Food Bank serves 4,000 people every month, 33 per cent of whom are children under the age of 15 and 12 per cent of whom are seniors.