MOOSONEE - Moosonee has launched its first-ever food bank to address growing food insecurity in the community.
The initiative is the result of years of discussions and Ontario Northland shipping items for free once a month for the next year.
Food security has long been a challenge for Moosonee residents, said Terah Racine, the town’s manager of community development, wellness, and civic engagement.
Concerns have been raised by multiple community partners, including police and child and family services, she said.
Many factors contribute to the issue, including high transportation costs, limited job opportunities, and a severe lack of available housing, Racine said.
“People are living in homes with many, many generations of people. There’s an intersectionality of different social issues that contribute to different levels of food security issues, especially when it comes to fresh or more expensive foods,” she said.
Until now, Moosonee did not have a dedicated food bank, though some organizations have hosted soup kitchens on an occasional basis, Racine said. However, staffing challenges and high turnover made it difficult to establish a permanent program.
The Moosonee Food Bank will operate out of the community centre and follow a food box model, where food is brought in, sorted, and distributed to residents once a month.
It will initially be open to Moosonee residents, though there is hope to expand in the future, Racine said.
The food will arrive via the Ontario Northland Railway (ONR) freight train in the morning and be distributed the same day.
Racine explained that food distribution will be based on household size, and pickup or delivery options will be available.
Since registration for the program opened on Feb. 24, at least 10 families have already signed up and interest is expected to grow, she said.
Volunteers, including high school students, will help sort and distribute the food boxes.
Racine said a key component of making this food bank possible has been a partnership with Ontario Northland.
She said the support from ONR is crucial because the town did not have a budget to cover shipping costs.
“We have gotten confirmation at least for the next year, with the potential of extending after that,” she said.
“We're really excited for this partnership, and really, really happy to have it.”
Ardis Chedore, manager of the Cochrane Food Bank, said Moosonee is now part of their network.
It means residents who may need to relocate temporarily — such as for medical reasons — can continue to access the system through the Linked2Feed system.
“So they'll be able to access the food resources within whatever community they go to in Northern Ontario. That's a big bonus. It’ll keep their food security needs intact,” Chedore said.
“It's really nice to be able to get some food security up the James Bay coast, not just a couple of pallets on the winter road to Attawapiskat. Because that's the minimum we've been able to do. Then the winter road melts away and we're done.”
In addition to food, clothing and other essential items from Cochrane’s thrift store will also be sent to Moosonee.
“We'll be able to send up things for Christmas, and organize with them if they want to do any kind of hampers or anything for Christmas,” Chedore said.
“It’s a great start to what I'm hoping is going to be a great partnership that's going to continue on up to the coast.”
The first food boxes are expected to go out in March. Racine hopes it’s the first in offering more support across the remote region. .
“That was one of my big goals when I started this position. Just really to make things more sustainable for all communities, so that they have the ability to meet the needs that people have for food programming,” she said.
