The Centre Wellington Food Bank unveiled its latest piece of equipment aimed at allowing the community group to take in more food.
Food bank supporters, at a special open house on May 2, saw the new $26,000 walk-in fridge and freezer built largely through donations.
Manager Fred Aleksandrowicz said the fridge freezer came about after he was approached by a donor who came up with a $10,000 challenge.
“He said to me I’ll give a certain amount of dollars; if you raise 50 per cent you’ll get the rest from me.”
The money was raised within three months with other donations, Aleksandrowicz said.
Harvey Thompson, who organizes the local Food Cycle Ride that has raised about $23,000 for the food bank over the past three years and is set to go again on May 24, said the donations show community support for the work done by the food bank and service it provides to low income individuals and families.
“As people who are concerned about the community have choices of how we support the food bank this makes it easy for us to think of as a community,” he said at Friday’s ceremony.
“It’s a tremendous organization. It’s a centre concerned about healthy food, healthy eating and a healthy community.”
It was a sentiment shared by food bank chair Jackie Andrews, who told the Advertiser the walk-in freezer and fridge means the food bank will be able to take in and store more food items.
In an earlier interview with the Advertiser she recalled one Christmas when the food bank was offered turkeys, but was unable to refrigerate them.
“This has been a dream for many, many years and now it’s a reality,” she said.
“It’s an amazing way to use more of the food that is donated to us and give it to the clients who are in need.”
