[News] Asahtowikamik, new Regina food hub, offers more choice to people with food insecurity

People from all walks of life gathered Thursday to support the ribbon cutting and naming reveal of the new food hub model that the Regina Food Bank will now offer.

The new hub is called BMO Asahtowikamik in Cree — which translates to feeding lodge in English. The project started about two years ago, with plans to give residents who have food insecurity the opportunity to have an experience of choosing what they wanted, instead of accepting what they get. 

Regina Food Bank's President and CEO John Bailey said they are excited to finally see this opened.

When somebody walks to the door at this new food bank, which officially opens for use Aug. 16, they will be greeted by a staff member or volunteer who will make sure they have an appointment and give them a blank shopping list.

The new model gives people a sense of how much of each type of product they can grab and what they need.

There will even be a point of sales system — to give an experience like a grocery store — but the total will always end with a zero.

Meeting the need

"We still know there's about a 30 per cent gap, 40 per cent gap between the total need in the community and what we're able to serve," Bailey said.

Bailey said this is going to be a big step forward in terms of meeting that need, and the food hub will flow through about 25 per cent more client appointments.

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