Regina and Greater Vancouver Food Banks team up for cross-provincial food trade

The Regina Food Bank and the greater Vancouver Food Bank are teaming up to give back to the community.

The Regina Food Bank along with the Greater Vancouver Food Bank are giving back to the community through a new partnership.

In late August, both food banks worked to redistribute 90,000 pounds of fresh food between the two cities using freight trucks.

Regina sent pulses and grains, while Vancouver sent fresh produce.

“The Vancouver Food Bank took a whole bunch of garden vegetables, fresh produce, and shipped it our way. Then in return, we shipped back a whole bunch of lentils, oats, some packaged products,” Regina Food Bank CEO John Bailey, told CTV News.

Bailey went on to say that the operation was the first of its kind.

“To the best of our knowledge, this sort of locally grown product being traded for more locally grown product, it’s first time it’s ever happened in Canada,” he noted.

“Part of the reason why we wanted to do it was to sort of show that it could be done, because there’s lots of there’s lots of opportunity to expand this and do it across other locations across Canada.”

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The trade was facilitated by the Greater Vancouver’s connection with CDS Ltd. The company offered a transfer price of $6,000 to distribute the food - 45,000 pounds to each city.

Bailey said his organization is in talks with other food banks for similar initiatives.

“Our goal is to make this an ongoing thing and also to expand it across Canada. We’re already sort of in discussions with Manitoba and Alberta for different types of private chains and in bulk, purchased individually, side of things.”

Bailey said his team is grateful the Greater Vancouver Food Bank teamed up for the partnership and they hope to continue it in the future.

“When two like-minded organizations want to work together in addition to being really focused on getting folks local food and Canadian food.”