Wheatland County Food Bank receives massive six figure grant

Wheatland County Food Bank has received some funding from the government that has allowed the food bank to move into a new facility and continue to keep the community from going hungry.  

They have been awarded $383,100 as part of the Community Facilities Enhancement Program grant (CEFP) explained Minister of Culture and Status of Women, Ron Orr. 

“Communities are the bedrock upon which this province is built.  Strong communities are critical to having a strong province. That is why we have the Community Facilities Enhancement Program. (CFEP).” 

“The program enables our government to help organizations to create facilities that support their communities. The Wheatland County Food Bank is one such organization. For more than 30 years it helped those in need. The CFEP grant of $383,100 has helped the food bank create a facility that will continue to serve the growing needs of the community for years to come.” 

Executive Director of the Wheatland County Food Bank, Lynette Aschenbrenner, explained that the grant allowed them to move into a new facility to serve the community better.  

Wheatland County Food Bank volunteers celebrate in the new facility! 

"We really had outgrown our previous location and there was no room to expand. We found the Community Facility Enhancement Program grant and decided that we would apply for it.” 

The Alberta Government matched what the food bank was able to afford, so they pulled their savings together and were able to purchase the new building with it. 

“We were awarded $383,100 to go toward purchasing our facility. That money has gone towards the new building and nothing else.”  

The grant has not only allowed the food bank to store more food, but the new facility also houses a commercial fridge and freezer  

“It's allowed us to triple our storage space and cooling capacity. So, we've been able to increase our food recovery efforts from grocery stores. The local Hutterites bring us fresh produce as well as Poplar Bluff. We're able to store a lot of extra food and fit a lot more volunteers in.” 

In addition to housing more food, they have been able to give out more food more efficiently. 

“We have also expanded our bread and extras program to two days a week instead of one day a week. We can give so many more items to them and it is wonderful to be able to supplement people's food budgets.”  

Check out the video below for a tour of the new Wheatland County Food Bank facility!