Lanark County Food Bank’s Hunger Stop secures ‘forever home’ to meet growing demand
Liz Glover, (left) LCFB Chair and Tammy Parent (right), manager at the Foodbank celebrate the acquisition of 115 Industrial Ave in Carleton Place as the permanent Hunger Stop location – submitted image
After more than three decades of serving the Lanark County community from various locations, The Hunger Stop (Lanark County Food Bank) is celebrating a major milestone: a permanent home for their staff and, more importantly, their clients.
In a move that was deemed necessary to meet the growing demand for food support across the region, the Lanark County Food Bank (LCFB) has announced it has taken possession of a new large-scale facility at 115 Industrial Avenue, which they call their “forever home.”
“Our current space has served us well, but it comes with limitations,” said Tammy Parent, Manager of the LCFB. “Our forever home will allow us to improve access and dignity, expand food storage and distribution capacity, better support volunteers and programs, and strengthen our ability to respond to growing community needs.”
After a year of searching for a suitable property, the LCFB board finally purchased their ideal location in Carleton Place, one that will not only store more food but also improve operational efficiency.
“We recognize that as much as we’d like to, we’re not going out of business,” said Liz Glover, LCFB Chair. “Food insecurity continues to rise, and our forever home offers a significant advancement in delivering dependable support.”
Parent echoed this sentiment, sharing that The Hunger Stop currently serves more than 1,800 people per month in the community, marking a significant increase from 500 per month just five years ago.
“Of the 1800 people LCFB feeds each month, 40 per cent are children,” explained Parent. “Clients come from a 770 square kilometre area, ranging from White Lake to Franktown, and Ashton to Innisville including the towns of Almonte, Pakenham, Carleton Place, Clayton, and the Township of Beckwith.”
With the help of Project Manager Bob Bray, plans are now underway to retrofit the existing building on Industrial Avenue to better meet the LCFB’s modernized operational needs.
“The location will enable us to meet our communities’ growing needs,” Glover added. “We are all very excited and hope to move into our new home by the fall.”
The organization reiterated that this “forever home” represents not just stability for the organization—but a necessary step forward to better respond to the ever-growing community need for food services.
“This milestone is only possible because of the community that supports us—our donors, volunteers, and partners,” Parent told Lanarkist. “With your continued support this vision will turn into a lasting legacy for Lanark County.”