Minden Community Food Centre

Its All in the Name... 

September 25 2014: The Board of the Minden Food Bank decided to change the name to the new name of Minden Community Food Centre. Although the purpose of the building has not changed; especially with regard to being a hub in Haliburton County for food distribution to other area food banks, the new name better reflects the geographical location of the building and reduces confusion with the food bank in Haliburton Village under the direction of the 4C's (Christian Community Concern Centre).

Here We Grow... 

June 1 2014: Footings are being poured for the new addition that will become the Minden Community Food Centre.

When complete, the MCFC will have a new community kitchen, meeting space, increased dry, cold and freezer space.

The MCFC will assist other County organizations by acting as a food acquisition and distribution hub. The large storage space will allow us to bulk buy product and take large quantity donations which we often have to pass up due to a lack of space.

The kitchen will not only produce meals for others, it will also offer various programs to help people learn important food skills. 

Minden Food Bank Receives Support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation

April 4 2014

The Minden Masonic Hall, in collaboration with the Minden Food Bank, has received $150,000 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, to build an addition to the Arcadia Lodge in Minden that will house the new Minden Community Food Centre (MCFC). The Food Centre will house both the Minden Food Bank and new community kitchen.

The new building is located at the current site of the Arcadia Lodge on Newcastle Street in Minden. The first phase, recently completed, saw the current Arcadia Lodge set in back in place on the newly constructed lower level built last fall. This lower level is part of the increased storage area of the new MCFC.

Thanks to the recent Ontario Trillium Foundation funding announcement, the second phase has started and will see a 4600 sq ft addition to the current building which will house office space, a commercial kitchen area, integrated meeting space, accessible washrooms and other support facilities. 

When complete the MCFC will become a food hub providing Haliburton County organizations enhanced opportunities to collaborate on food acquisition/storage and partner on developing effective programming to better support the community's efforts to address the issues of poverty and hunger. The increased food storage capacity will allow for acquisition of a greater variety and quantity of fresh produce and other perishable items that are often turned down because of limited facilities. Part of the MCFC vision is to act as a food hub to help support other County food banks and partner organizations that are limited in their types of storage and capacity. The full sized kitchen and attached meeting space will allow the food centre to offer various educational programs as well as prepare meals for clients

Estimated costs for the project are $470,000 and will be financed through various government and private sector development sources as well fund raising efforts

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The Minden Food Bank, in partnership with the Arcadia Lodge have broken ground on a new Minden Community Food Centre facility which, when complete, will allow the Food Bank to provide better services and programming to its clients and to the community of Haliburton County.

The new building is located at the current site of the Arcadia Lodge on Newcastle Street in Minden. Space on the site was offered to the Minden Food Bank by the Masons to allow them the opportunity to build a more sustainable facility. 

Phase One (COMPLETED): Will see the replacement of the stone foundation of the Lodge with a new insulated concrete foundation. This area will become the storage area (walk in fridge/ freezer and dry goods) for the food bank/food hub operation of the Centre. 

Introducing: The Minden Community Food Centre

The level entrance of the storage area will make it fully accessible and allow for convenient loading/unloading of food. 

Phase Two (COMPLETED): A 2600 sq ft addition will be added that includes:

office space

commercial kitchen area

flexible meeting/teaching space

accessible washrooms

other support facilities.


Phase Three (COMPLETED) will see the installation of kitchen equipment necessary to offer a Community Kitchen facility that will compliment the flexible meeting/teaching space and work areas.

January 2014


Thank you to the Council of Minden Hills for their $10,000 contribution to our project. We sincerely appreciate your support as we progress on our mission to provide better facilities to really help people that need it.

October 2013


We greatly appreciate the support of the Haliburton County Development Corporation. Their valued assistance gave us the start we need to bring the Minden Community Food Centre project to life. 

We cannot say enough about how valuable they are to this project and to Haliburton County.

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We're Helping the Community of Haliburton County

Having a facility in our County that takes a collaborative and proactive approach to providing people in need with additional, healthier food options as well as valuable learning opportunities is an important step forward against the issues of hunger in our communities. We are taking that step with this project.

The vision and scope of this project follows the successful examples that have taken place in communities such as Toronto, Perth and Stratford among others. Our goals include the following:

 

  • Providing more opportunities for people who are food insecure with healthier food in a manner that maintains dignity, builds health and sense of community.
  • Providing a welcoming place where anyone can enjoy nutritious food, socialize with others and access information on community resources.
  • Providing additional opportunities to receive and distribute fresh, locally grown produce through increased fridge and freezer storage capacity.
  • Providing opportunities for partner organizations to bulk buy products or take advantage of large quantity donations that in the past they (because of limited storage space) could not.
  • Partnering with food banks, community gardens, local businesses and other agencies in Haliburton County to help anyone who is food insecure.
  • Providing an opportunity for anyone to learn food skills such as the nutritional benefits of growing and preparing your own food. 

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A Community Approach to a Community Problem

The project is part of an integrated approach by the food bank and its partners to better address hunger and poverty in Haliburton County as well as be more responsive to the needs of the community as a whole. When complete, the Food Centre will have the following:


  • Increased capacity for the acquisition and storage of fresh produce and other perishable items. 
  • The ability to act as a food hub to assist the other County food banks and partner organizations. 
  • A full sized kitchen and attached meeting space will allow the food centre to offer various educational programs as well as prepare meals for clients.

Related Posts

History of the Minden Community Food Centre

March 11, 2024
History of the Minden Community Food Centre, March 2024

Minden Community Garden Making Steady Progress

By MyPortal Marketing • July 20, 2023
Minden Hills will soon have its own community garden. It would be located at the north end of the Minden Fairgrounds, near the bandshell and parallel to Bobcaygeon Rd.. The initiative is spearheaded by the Minden Community Food Centre, with the Minden Rotary Club in charge of bringing other partners on board. Lynda Litwin, Past President of the club, says the current plan is for a fenced area with at least 15 four-foot by 12-foot plots, with topsoil and water provided on-site. “I think the plan is going to allow for many more than that,” says Litwin. “The fenced-in area may be larger than the first initial requirement for [15] plots. If we get a call for 20, 30 plots, that’d be great and we’ll work collectively to make that happen.” Township council signed off on the idea last year, and Rotary held a public meeting in February to take questions and ideas from the community. Litwin says attendees were “very supportive” of the project, with several service clubs, organizations, and businesses signing on to help. The garden would charge a $20 yearly fee, and likely keep one plot reserved for the Food Centre. “There’d be an opportunity for fresh-grown produce to be harvested for the food bank, and community members are encouraged to help with the weeding and the planting and whatever to make that happen,” says Litwin. “Anybody that’s doing a plot that doesn’t need the produce for themselves is encouraged to donate their produce to the food bank.” According to Litwin, the tentative schedule is to start prepping the site in April, finish building the garden by May 19, and begin planting on June 1. In the meantime, she says the challenge is figuring out who can provide what. The list of needs includes wood, topsoil, fencing, posts, wood chips, signs, and garden hoses, as well as volunteers to put everything together. Those interested in helping or applying for a plot can contact the Minden Community Food Centre at 705-286-6838 or mindencommunityfoodcentre@gmail.com . “It’s just going to be another wonderful event happening in Minden Hills on an ongoing basis,” says Litwin. “You’ll have people gathering together in the spring to do their planting, maintenance through the summer, harvesting in the fall, a fall cleanup in the gardens. Just another opportunity for like-minded people who like gardening to get together.”

Minden food centre looking to make big splash

By MyPortal Marketing • July 20, 2023
County residents are being challenged to hit the water a few weeks early this year to help fund operations at the Minden Community Food Centre. Executive director, Jean Munroe, said the organization is introducing a new fundraiser next month, encouraging community members to embrace the Jump in the Lake challenge. Taking place May 6, the event will see participants raise money for the food bank before plunging into the barely thawed depths of their chosen local lake. “We’re leaning on the success of another fundraiser started by Dean Michel and Jennifer Bacon in Coboconk several years ago to raise money for a new wellness centre in their community,” Munroe said, speaking to the inspiration. “It was a huge hit and helped raise more than $125,000… we’re really hoping it can be a success for us here in Minden.” Michel, a real estate agent with Century 21 in Minden, endorsed this new offshoot, saying it can be a tremendous way to bring the community together for a great cause. Demand at Minden’s food bank has spiked again through the first quarter of 2023. Munroe said she’s seen an average of 285 people a month come through the doors during the first three months of this year, up from 232 people a month in 2022. “We’re definitely seeing an upward trend. With the increased cost of housing, food, gas – many families in our community are struggling,” she said. “We’ve been very busy and we’re expecting that to continue.” Munroe said she’s hoping to bring in around $10,000 through Jump in the Lake. That money is sorely needed at a time that the food bank is seeing its food costs increase as much as 25 to 30 per cent for some of its staple products, such as milk, meats, and fruit. While the hub does receive monthly donations of things like vegetables and tinned items, Munroe said she buys around 60 per cent of the food that goes out the door. Amanda Federchuk is helping to lead this new initiative, after taking the plunge herself for the past three years. “At the beginning of the pandemic there were lots of fears about food insecurity and job security… I heard about the Jump in the Lake challenge [and decided] to do my own one-off version for Minden,” Federchuk said. “This was in 2020, but I loved it so much I’ve been doing it ever since.” In 2022 she raised $1,000 for the food centre. “It’s so much fun. Every year I’ve had neighbours come out to watch me jump and cheer me on… in the days leading up to the jump, you start to psych yourself out about how cold it’s going to be, but in the end it’s just five cold minutes one day a year for a great cause,” she said. “You warm up again in no time.” Munroe said she’ll be participating this year, as part of a team that will be plunging into Horseshoe Lake. By getting the word out early, she’s hoping to inspire as many people as possible to take part. part. “We need all the help we can get right now as we try to meet the growing needs of our community. We’re seeing more seniors, more young families depend on us for healthy, nutritious foods,” Munroe said. “This is a great way to give back and have some fun while doing it.” For more information visit mindenfoodbank.org .

Minden Community Food Centre Welcomes New Leadership

By MyPortal Marketing • July 20, 2023
Passing the torch Longtime community helpers Joanne Barnes and Kim Russell are retiring from the Minden Community Food Centre, welcoming Jean Munroe and Victoria Lawson into the positions of manager and assistant manager at the Newcastle Street organization. From left, Russell, Barnes, Munroe and Lawson met on March 7 in front of the food centre. Russell retired at the end of February and Barnes retires at the end of this month.

Planning underway for Minden’s first community garden

By MyPortal Marketing • July 20, 2023
Plans are well underway for the establishment of a Community Garden at the Minden Fairgrounds this spring. Sponsored by the Minden Community Food Centre and supported by the Minden Rotary Club, it will provide a minimum of 20, four-feet by 12-feet raised beds for planting by individuals. Gary Stoner of the Food Centre said the project will provide fresh produce for food bank clients and the general public, many of whom do not have the physical space to create a garden on their own property, or who live in rented accommodation. Dave Woodcroft, president of the Rotary Club of Minden, said his club supports the initiative “as a tremendous benefit to the community.” He, along with Lynda Litwin, also of Rotary, are encouraging other service clubs in Minden to hop on board with their support. Litwin said, “many organizations have already indicated they are behind this most worthwhile project.” Applications for a spot in the garden are already being accepted by contacting the Minden Community Food Centre at 705-286-6838 or by email mindencommunityfoodcentre@gmail.com . “The organizing committee would like to see more involvement from the community and lists the following opportunities for volunteers to get involved: garden co-ordinator, provision and erection of perimeter fencing, garden hoses, construction of a small garden shed, site preparation and top soil, plot construction, providing and putting up signs and financial help. Further details will be provided at an upcoming meeting for anyone interested, Feb. 21 at the Dominion Hotel at 7 p.m.

Minden Community Garden

By Grant Gooley • July 20, 2023
The now dubbed 'Rotary Construction Crew' had some fun building boxes for the above ground planters at Minden's first community garden at the Fairgrounds. The fresh produce grown in these garden beds will provide fresh produce for those who don't have the physical space to create a garden on their own property or who live in rented accommodation. Minden Rotary is proud to support the community garden initiative sponsored by the Minden Community Food Centre . Should you be interested in more information contact the Minden Community Food Centre at 705-286-6838 or by email: mindencommunityfoodcentre@gmail.com