The Central Okanagan Food Bank (COFB) received $100,000 in funding on Tuesday from the federal government as part of the nation’s new National Food Security Strategy.
A large portion of the money will go toward COFB’s new Food Rescue Transformation Centre, an 11,000-square-foot warehouse and processing facility in Kelowna aimed at reducing food waste and tackling food insecurity.
Kelowna Member of Parliament Stephen Fuhr made the announcement at the warehouse facility on June 30, which comes from Canada’s Local Food Infrastructure Fund.
Fuhr says Canada’s first-ever National Food Security Strategy aims to make sure every Canadian can access affordable and nutritious food.
“We’re investing in innovation and infrastructure, reducing red tape, and connecting producers to markets so they can grow and thrive, while providing key support measures to the farmers who make it all possible,” said Fuhr.
“At the same time, we’re improving supply chains and competition to give consumers more choice, more Canadian products, and lower costs – building a stronger, more resilient food system for everyone.”
According to Central Okanagan Food Bank CEO Trevor Moss, roughly $30,000 will be used to buy a harvester for local crops, while the remaining $70,000 will go toward refrigerators and freezers for the new facility.
“We need this refrigeration space because they can take products like potatoes, cherries, and carrots, and elongate that to four months. If we don’t have refrigeration, it’s probably like two or three weeks. So you can see the value with this infrastructure,” explained Moss.
Moss tells Black Press Media that Phase 1, which includes purchasing and installing new refrigerators and freezers, is expected to be completed by September.
When complete, the new refrigerators and freezers will act as a regional storage unit for food banks across the Okanagan, while also extending the life of fresh food products.
Phase 2 of the Food Rescue Transformation Centre will focus on building out the space of the warehouse that will be used for preserving and processing rescued food that would otherwise go to waste.
Depending on funding, COFB hopes to raise enough money to complete Phase 2 by the spring of 2027.
As of the June 30 funding announcement, nearly $1 million has been raised to help turn the warehouse into a reality, which needs $5.5 million to complete the project.