Food Bank Farm, soup kitchen vie for food security grant

Help for the Sault Ste. Marie Soup Kitchen Community Centre and the Food Bank Farm is potentially just a click away after being declared one of ten finalists in the Epicure Foundation Grant Program, which makes financial and in-kind contributions toward food security projects across Canada.

Sault Ste. Marie Soup Kitchen Community Centre general manager Ron Sim - who coordinates the distribution of the food harvested from the Food Bank Farm - says that there are two $25,000 grants up for grabs, in addition to four in-kind donations of $2,500 each.

“They’re looking at funding different people who are promoting food security across Canada, just to help provide adequate physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious foods and dietary needs,” Sim said.

The Food Bank Farm’s proposal for the Epicure Foundation Grant Program makes a funding pitch for investment in mobile refrigeration, distribution, preservation and operations related to the not-for-profit farm located on Maki Road, with plans to expand the Food Bank Farm to a second location in Huntsville, Ont.

Sim says that Food Bank Farm co-founder Colin Templeton submitted the proposal, which Sim says outlines a plan to ensure long-term stability of the farm.

“He built his own irrigation system out there with a very small budget, and it does all his acres of garden out there,” Sim said. “I’ve never quite seen anything like it, with the little bit of funding that he did have, and what he came up with.”

The submission by the soup kitchen and the Food Bank Farm is one of ten proposals to make it to the final round - of those ten proposals, four will be selected for $2,500 in-kind donations, while two proposals will each receive a $25,000 grant.  

“It’s just to continue to ensure that we have all kinds of good nutritious healthy foods during the growing season,” Sim said.

Online voting for the Epicure Foundation Community Grant Program opened Nov. 26, and will close Dec. 16.

The online voting form can be found here.