Due to increased usage and the inefficiency of operating from multiple facilities, The Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre has made plans to relocate.

Executive Director of the SFBLC, Laurie O’Connor, says the plans to move were solidified last summer when Nutrien contributed $2.5 million to SFB’s fundraising campaign. From there, the fundraising goal of the new Plant Possibilities capital campaign grew to $12 million, and the planning for a new home began.

“We’ve been thinking about a move to a new facility for almost a decade now,” O’Connor stated.

The new location is at 425 Avenue P south. She says the new facility will include over double the amount of space the current facility has, allowing for all staff and volunteers to work under the same roof, and it will serve as the shipping and receiving hub for all 36 food banks across the province.

It will also have a shipping and receiving dock to manage over 5 tonnes of food per day, and adequate storage for dry, refrigerated, and frozen goods.

“This is a need that we saw a decade ago and really fits within our purpose of feeding the future,” said Nutrien Executive Vice President Chris Reynolds.

O’Connor says last year, 41 per cent of food bank users were children, with 31 per cent of them being under 5 years old. Last year, 20 per cent of food bank users did so because of the cost of food in grocery stores, and 11 per cent of users were unemployed or recently lost their job.

She anticipates a shovel in the ground by spring of 2024, with doors opening by fall of 2025.