North House opens market-style pantry to aid with food insecurity

Jessie Davis

It was a full house at North House on Tuesday as the organization celebrated the grand opening of its new market pantry.

The pantry is stocked with fresh, frozen, and non-perishable food and household items, which are available free of charge to North House clients by individual 30-minute appointment, which is a concept that’s a little different from the usual food bank model.

Taryn Federici, a mental health and addictions caseworker, explained that once a client registers in person or online, they receive a registration card and number on their first visit, which is then used to book subsequent appointments.

“We have roughly 120 clients,” said North House executive director Nathan Gardner. “So those are individuals that need services to either find them housing or maintain their housing. Homelessness in a rural community is a lot different than in cities. There’s a lot of couch surfing, there’s people living in trailers and barns. There’s a lot of stuff you may not know about, and there’s also not as much anonymity. If you go to (a service provider like a food bank), you might see somebody that you know from school or from work.”

Jennifer MacKay, manager of housing services at North House, says that being able to access the pantry using the appointment model adds a level of anonymity that many food banks are not able to offer.

“It’s all about providing barrier-free access for food insecure people,” she said. “For clients who can’t physically come to our location, we can even get on a phone or video call with them so they can see or hear what we have on the shelves.”

This way clients can still get what they want rather than a bag of random items that might not meet their needs. North House staff can also deliver pantry items to clients who can’t physically come in, themselves.

“Something like this doesn’t happen unless just short of a million people contribute and are part of it,” Gardner half-jokingly told the assembled crowd.

He went on to thank some of their many partners and supporters, including Elexicon Energy Inc., whose manager of Corporate Giving and Events, Melanie Walls, presented North House with a cheque for $25,000.

Gardner also noted that the Rotary Club of Uxbridge’s Charitable Foundation provided a significant financial donation to assist with additional cold storage solutions that were needed unexpectedly and weren’t part of the original budget, and then went on to thank Uxbridge council, Feed the Need Durham, the Nourish and Develop Foundation, Bennett Design, and Arris Construction Group.

“A very large portion of the food you see in there today was actually donated (by Christine at Arris) today,” Gardner said. “Much more than a contractor, they’re definitely a partner and we felt their support throughout the process.”

When asked if the market pantry is meant to take over for Loaves and Fishes Food Bank, Gardner stressed that the market pantry is not meant to replace local food banks and food access services, but will actually work in tandem with them to pool resources and maximize their services and offerings.

“What we want to provide through all of our services, through our people, is an approach and a feeling that says you’re welcome. You’re part of the community and you don’t have to feel shame in this.”