‘Exceeding demand’ forces community food bank to shut down indoor fridge and pantry

The Parkdale Food Centre will be closing its indoor fridge and pantry in Ottawa’s west end because of high demand.

In a Facebook post Friday, the group said those services will close for good on Feb. 8 at the end of the day.

“The demand for food has far exceeded our capacity to fill and manage the fridge, freezer and pantry,” the group said in a post. “We are unable to offer food from these sources in a dignified and equitable manner.”

The food bank added their Mino’Weesini grocery program on Hamilton Avenue North continues to offer emergency food support to the community.

You can visit their website for more information.

“Despite the challenging nature of this decision, our team is confident that this will allow for more enjoyable community meals and enhanced one-on-one support at Rosemount,” the group added.

Last year, the Parkdale Food Centre closed their outdoor community fridge, blaming an increased number of incidents that “impacted feelings of safety and inclusivity.”

The community pantry has served as an important place for residents facing food insecurity to turn to amid rising food costs.

The Parkdale Food Centre is a community food bank that serves people in Hintonburg, Mechanicsville and the Civic Hospital areas.