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An overstretched Gloucester food bank is in line for a big upgrade.
Ottawa city council’s housing and planning committee has approved a zoning amendment to facilitate the development of a six-storey mixed-use building in Beacon Hill South, with a new space for the Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard (GEFC).
The food bank on Arrowsmith Drive has long needed an upgrade, said Tim Tierney, the Ottawa city councillor representing Beacon Hill-Cyrville ward.
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“It’s mice-infested, he said.
Not to mention the food bank’s current home is “literally a schoolyard portable,” Tierney added. “It serves a much larger community than originally scoped for.”
The building was initially erected more than 35 years ago as a temporary condo sales office, according to GEFC board member Tim Foran. Today, the building has leaks and is cramped for spaces as lineups often stretch out the door in the freezing cold.
The GEFC serves up to 4,000 people per year, or 10 per cent of Beacon Hill’s population, with two paid staff and about 70 volunteers, according to its website.
The geographical scope of the GEFC isn’t expanding beyond his ward, yet Tierney said the demand in Gloucester keeps climbing. The organization experienced a record-breaking month in January with more than 2,300 visits.
“We’ve seen a massive increase of even middle-class constituents that are really struggling to get by, especially seniors, that are having to make use of this,” Tierney said.
As the site sits directly across from existing 14-storey apartment buildings, the proposed five stories fit right in, said city councillor Jeff Leiper, chair of the housing and planning committee. “With all the plans for intensification that are in the official plan and what we generally want to see being built, it’s fairly clear that city staff are on the right track.
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The new development will be led by Wigwamen Incorporated, an Indigenous non-profit housing developer. The six storeys of affordable units are slated for Indigenous seniors, which Foran said the food bank will look to weave into its programming.
The GEFC will take up the ground floor of the new building and expects to receive modern amenities including a loading dock, industrial kitchen and ample storage. Foran said the GEFC is also looking into the possibility of a community kitchen where volunteers and food bank users can come together to serve meals.
Tierney said the nearby First Nations, Métis and Inuit Learning Centre at Gloucester High School is another opportunity to tie into a community-oriented development. He said the Syrian community has become an integral part of the area and expects the addition of Indigenous seniors to receive a similar welcome.
“I know the community will step up again for their new neighbours,” he said.
Tierney said he expects shovels in the ground within a year, with an opening date of two years from now.
In the meantime, the GEFC is scouting out temporary locations to continue its operations during construction.
“We’ve identified a space within Beacon Hill, very close to our current location that could meet our needs,” Foran said. “It’s on a bus route, so we think it’ll still support the community and food bank users very effectively.”
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