THUNDER BAY — The Roots Community Food Centre has come a long way, and taken many different shapes, since 2007.
Initially started as Roots to Harvest as a small project at Lakehead University, the organization has steadily grown over the years, with new programs and services, and a partnership with a national non-profit.
The Roots Community Food Centre celebrated an official grand opening of its new dining room on Thursday, showcasing its freshly renovated space on Fort William Road.
Roots Community Food Centre executive director Erin Beagle said community is at the heart of what they do.
“What we were shown time and time again is that the community wanted more, and that there was more opportunity and support for us to be and do more,” she said. “There were gaps to fill and partnerships to make, that we were able to address needs that had been going unmet.”
“Every time we had taken a leap of faith and taken a bit of a risk in a new space or a new program, whether it was moving to Volunteer Pool or Lillie Street, everything has blossomed from there.”
While food is at the centre of Roots’ operations, Beagle said being able to access an inclusive, welcoming space is important for people.
“They need support. They need company. They need a place to feel like they belong, that they have something to offer, that they can participate,” she said. “If we can find meaningful ways for them to be valued and honoured for the work and skills they already have and bring, that’s our goal.
Roots officially joined with Community Food Centres Canada last year, becoming one of 15 across Canada, and taking on its new name.
Beagle said the partnership allows Roots to amplify its voice, bringing issues in Northwestern Ontario including food insecurity, access and prices in the north, to a national level.
“That informs the policy changes they’re trying to make at a federal level,” she said. “We get all the information they take at that national level and then get to apply it here — like community food markets.”
Thunder Bay-Superior North MP Patty Hajdu, who announced $735,000 in federal funding for the ongoing renovations and retrofitting, said Roots fills a valuable role in the community.
“We’re seeing that there is a need for programs and services like Roots that offer food access, dignity and access to community and supports,” she said. “If we were to see an absence of these community groups, we would really feel it in the community.”
Beagle said the new building has allowed Roots to have community meals twice a week for seniors and elders over the age of 60, though she said she hopes that can be expanded in the future.
Roots also operates a community food market with lower cost, fresh produce, along with programming through schools, a newcomer kitchen, and employment and cooking programs for adult education students.
“I don’t think we’re done growing,” Beagle said. “I just think this is a really great place to land right now.”