After two years of planning and fundraising, 100 Mile House's Loaves and Fishes have officially expanded their operation.
The non-profit food bank has added a new ATCO Trailer to their building to give them a brand new storage space for non-perishable food. It's an expansion that Michael Langner, the president of Loaves and Fishes, was visibly excited to show the Free Press during our interview with him. He said it will help his organization in its ongoing efforts to help the less fortunate in the community.
"This was a big necessity for us to get this addition. We've been looking for an ATCO trailer for two years but couldn't find something below $20,000," Langner said. "Then a friend of ours offered us a trailer for $15,000, including setting up. He came with two huge excavators to make everything level."
Langner said the trailer was formally a water recycling plant in Edmonton and had a huge drum inside and several patches of rust. Despite this 103 Mile resident Marvin Ryan bought the trailer and sold it to Loaves and Fishes for a reasonable price. On top of the good deal, Langner said Ryan also helped them build a slanted roof for the top of the trailer and installed it on top of metal skids.
After the trailer was installed Langner said he and several other members of the Loaves and Fishes team worked to convert the former water plant into a usable storage space. They began by removing the rust in the interior, taking out a wall to connect it with the rest of the building, installing lights and an electrical system and building several shelves to store food.
"We just had to buy the material, we did all the work ourselves," Langner said, noting they hired an electrician for one day to properly connect their wiring.
To fund the expansion Langner said Loaves and Fishes volunteers reached out to various businesses and other non-profits in town asking for help. He remarked that Alan Watrich especially was able to secure several large donations from local businesses. Some of the largest donations included $1,500 from 100 Mile RBC, $2,000 from the 100 Mile Lions Club, $3,000 from Royal Canadian Legion Branch 260 and $5,000 from West Fraser 100 Mile.
"Many business people and companies gave us good money so we were able to buy all the materials," Langner said. "We got so many donations and we thank all those who made donations with heartfelt appreciation. We are really thankful for all who made this possible."
While this project cost a lot of money, Langner said the expansion is going to save Loaves and Fishes a ton of money going forward. Until now, Langner explained the charity has been unable to take advantage of certain deals offered by stores in Kamloops or Williams Lake.
Often these stores will offer a reduced rate to food banks or charities but require the recipients to buy a certain amount of product. Langner said with their old storage space they were usually unable to buy the required amount and couldn't stockpile food effectively. Now, however, he said they will be able to start buying in bulk and making their money stretch even further.
"So now we won't buy one box but 10, 15 or whatever we can get to make the most out of the money we got," Langner remarked. "We haven't had the place to store but now we're able to say 'ok I'll take a whole pallet' and then we save money. We get much further with our funds and that's why we needed the space."
In the future, Langner said he hopes to add a proper washroom and industrial sink to wash produce in but noted that, as this would require a sewage hookup, that's a project far down the line.
Langner said over the last week Loaves and Fishes have been in the process of distributing their Christmas Hampers. Prior to adding the new storage space, he remarked they could barely move through their existing building.
Right now Langner said Loaves and Fishes is assisting between 30 to 40 families every Wednesday. While some of their recipients are single individuals, for the most part, Langner said they are families with three to six members.
"We got really overwhelming help this year. Many people donated money and we were really able to buy 15 turkeys, 40 hams and everybody who is coming is amazed by what they get. We also always get, from the Conservation Officers, deer and moose meat they collect from poachers," Langner said. "We always have fresh meat, fresh potatoes, fresh carrots and vegetables. This is what people like and really appreciate."
