DRYDEN – The capital campaign for Project Hope, the Dryden Food Bank’s plan to expand and renovate property at 158 Grand Trunk Ave., has entered Phase 2.
Food bank manager Allen Huckabay came to city council Monday night to update councillors on the project and request a resolution of support.
Huckabay told council the charity began to see an increase in food donations in 2020, followed by “a warehousing issue in our present building” on Queen Street.
The Grand Trunk property will address that issue with more space, he said.
Community support for Project Hope has been “absolutely phenomenal,” Huckabay told Dougall Media before the meeting.
The food bank is also “very thankful” for support from the Kenora District Services Board, the Regional Food Distribution Association and other key players, he said.
On its website, the food bank describes its purpose as “to relieve hunger today and prevent hunger tomorrow.”
The projected cost for Project Hope is $1.3 million, half of which Huckabay said could be covered by grants from the public and private sectors.
Donations could cover about 30 per cent while 20 per cent will be from financial institutions, he told councillors.
He asked the mayor and council for a resolution of support for Project Hope.
Letters of support are a valuable tool in applying for government grants, Huckabay explained in an interview before the meeting.
“We're also asking for some capital, perhaps ongoing support of the operational grants for project hope,” he said.
City staff will look into the food bank’s requests and report to council at a future meeting, Mayor Jack Harrison said Tuesday.
The letter of support requested by Huckabay will be produced soon, he said.
Information on how to donate money to the food bank is available on its website.
