'A big step forward': Regina Food Bank opens first-of-its-kind grocery-style food hub

Regina Food Bank celebrated the grand opening of their new community food hub Thursday.

The asahtowikamik Food Hub is a first of its kind model in Canada. Clients will be able to choose what food they need and what they don’t. Different from the organization’s previous hamper-centred format.

“When we open [Friday], a mother and her children will come visit this facility,” said VP of Community David Froh. “They’ll be greeted with a smile and walk through a food hub that looks and feels like a grocery story.”

“I hope when they leave, they’ll leave with their head held high,” Froh added.

The food bank hopes to instill empowerment in the clients who need their service most.

“It actually increases a sense of food security by five to 10 per cent,” said CEO John Bailey. “People feel less food insecure just by choosing what food they need.”

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A community effort went in to raising funds for the facility.

Its name, asahtowikamik is the Cree word for “food lodge.”

“Not everybody has the opportunity to have a home fire and meal on a regular,” said project capital committee member Cadmus Delorme. “Food is medicine. And medicine is going to help heal in the family and the culture and the kinship together.”

The opening comes as food bank usage is at an all-time high.

In 2023, the Regina Food Bank served more than 65,000 households. Seventeen per cent more than the previous year.

Bailey says the majority of users are youth and children – and demand continues to increase.

“No food bank wants to get bigger,” he said. “That said, the needs of our community dictate we need to keep expanding our services.”

The food bank will still operate its hamper service from its Winnipeg Street location as it has for over 40 years.

“We still know there’s a 30 to 40 per cent gap between the total need in our community and what we’re able to serve,” Bailey said. “This is going to be a big step forward for us in meeting that need.”

The asahtowikamik Food Hub officially opens to clients Friday morning.