Cambridge Food Bank finds new home

The Cambridge Food Bank has bought a new building, but CTV’s Karis Mapp finds out the work is far from over.

The Cambridge Food Bank has finally found a new place to call home.

The organization recently purchased a new 31,000-square-foot building at 384 Franklin Boulevard, which was previously owned by Bolt and Nut Supply Ltd.

Once the renovations are complete, the facility will have a bigger commercial kitchen, expanded areas for programming and a greenhouse. The building is also located along a bus route and offers accessible parking.

“It’s more than twice the size,” explained Dianne McLeod, the Cambridge Food Bank’s CEO. “But what’s really beautiful about it is that it’s all on one floor, so we don’t have to worry about bringing thousands of pounds of food up in an elevator.”

The organization said the price tag for 384 Franklin Boulevard was $4.3 million and, later this year, they will launch a $10 million fundraiser to help transform the space.

“We will need support from individuals and the community,” said Jen Germann Wright, the project lead for the food bank’s capital campaign. “We’re also looking to expand a little bit into corporate more than we ever have before. There are some pretty big numbers to reach.”

The bulk of the money will be used for renovations and stocking their shelves.

“It’s just a box right now,” Germann Wright said. “We’ll be putting in our community pantry, our admin area, commercial kitchen, efficient shelving and equipment.”

Building a greenhouse is also part of the plan.

“We grow thousands of pounds of food every year at our two community gardens, and we want to have our own greenhouse in order to start our seedlings,” said McLeod.

According to the Cambridge Food Bank, one in eight households in Cambridge and North Dumfries relied on their support in 2024 and more than 1,000 children and adults took part in their wellness programs.

A new location was needed to meet the growing demand from the community.

The organization has called Ainslie Street South home for more than two decades and, at first, they distributed approximately 200,000 pounds of food every year to the community. The Cambridge Food Bank now hands out well over one million pounds annually.

“We will certainly miss [Ainslie Street South],” McLeod said. “There’s been a lot of history that has happened over the years in that building. I think what we’ll probably do is invite people to come in and say goodbye before we leave.”

The Cambridge Food Bank hopes to move into the Franklin Boulevard building in early 2027.