Kids First Food Bank set to reopen next Monday

After closing the doors more than two months ago, the Kids First Food Bank on Howard Avenue is set to reopen to the public on Jan. 15.

Tours took place Thursday during the grand reopening event, as officials renewed their plea for volunteers to allow for expanded service hours.

“We had exposed electrical coming from the ceiling. There was a leak coming from the ceiling. The floors were all coming up. So it was a tripping hazard,” said Windsor Family Homes and Community Partnerships Executive Director, Angela Yakonich.

She added, “It was dark and dingy, not really welcoming at all and not very conducive to the health and safety of our volunteers who put in countless hours here.”

According to Yakonich, plans are in the works to introduce Wednesday evenings to accommodate working families in need, as officials suggested more employed people are relying on assistance.

Currently, the food bank is open twice a week on Mondays and Fridays thanks to a crew of volunteers.

The Kids First Food Bank on Howard Avenue in Windsor, Ont. is set to reopen its doors on Jan. 15, 2023. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)“We're just trying to secure some volunteers for them,” Yakonich explained. “We've always prided ourselves on providing a dignified experience for our clients that access food bank, this means that they get choice of food coming in. We don't just give them a box and say, ‘Here you go.’”

She added, “It is grocery store style, but with COVID it kind of changed things a little bit, but we have volunteers that have a little shopping cart and they go through the aisles and people get to pick everything they want.”

Yakonich said more than 300 people come through the doors each week, with clients turning to other food banks in Windsor, while renovations took place.

“We did have a list available for people who came to the door as well as the list right by the phone so that we could provide the contact information for anybody that called,” she said.

A donation of $100,000 from the Solcz Family Foundation and a grant were used to complete the renovation project.

“If you had the opportunity to see the before, this is a game changer,” said Executive Director, Krysten Solcz.

“We know that food security is very important, especially right now,” Solcz added. “The cost of living, everything's at an all time high. Food bank usage all time high. So seeing the condition this food bank was in we knew that we needed to help out with this and we're just happy to be able to do that.”