'We've physically run out of room': City of Nanaimo secures new site for food bank

(CTV)

The Loaves and Fishes food bank will soon have a new place to call home after the city purchased land for it to build a new warehouse facility.

At a cost of $1.3 million, the future building on East Wellington Road will be 25,000 square feet, which is four times the size of the food bank’s current warehouse on Fry Street.

The food bank is currently using the future site of the new warehouse for its Empties 4 Food program.

“We’ve physically run out of room to handle all of the food that’s coming in,” says Peter Sinclair, executive director of Loaves and Fishes Community Food Bank.

“We’ve actually had to say no to truck trailer loads of perishable food because we simply don’t have the room for it.”

Loaves and Fishes will be submitting its development permit to the city early in the new year. The food bank expects the new warehouse could take another year-and-a-half to three years to complete.

Sinclair adds that a significant amount of fundraising still needs to be done to cover the construction costs.

At an upcoming council meeting on Dec. 20, the city will consider a 30-year lease of the property to the food bank.