THUNDER BAY — Thanks to a generous gift from Ontario Power Generation, the Regional Food Distribution Association has purchased a pair of refrigerated outdoor containers to store frozen food destined for remote Northern Ontario First Nations.
Brendan Carlin, the RFDA’s community services manager, said OPG’s continued support, which over the past few years has totalled more than $450,000, will have a huge impact on improved food security in regional First Nations.
“They can either be refrigeration units or they can be freezer units,” Carlin said on Wednesday of their latest purchase.
“We’re currently using them as freezer units and they help with our storage. In the past we were renting out that space, which was costing us $2,000 a month. Now it doesn’t cost us anything but the power to generate them. They’re efficient containers and there’s no diesel fuel involved.”
Carlin said they bought the containers as a bit of a pilot project, knowing the RFDA would ultimately like to purchase more for relocation to several remote communities.
“We can use them as distribution points so we can ship frozen food up there and they can distribute it at their leisure, as opposed to now, where they have to get it up there and then they need to have somebody receive it and get it out as fast as possible to avoid spoilage,” Carlin said.
Carlin said the benefits are far-reaching.
“I think it will have a great impact. Right now, when we send things up, we also have to be efficient with how much we send because we don’t want to send up too much – but we don’t want to send up too little,” Carlin said.
It allows more access to healthier food too, he added.
“Diabetes is an issue, and other diet-related issues. So the more healthy food we can get up there, the better,” Carlin said.
Dwayne Korchak, the director of plant operations for OPG in Thunder Bay, said donations to the RFDA are part of the utility’s corporate citizenship program to help out in communities where OPG does its business. The RFDA is providing a valuable service to many who need it, stocking food banks throughout Northwestern Ontario.
The timing couldn’t be better, he said.
“One of the areas we’ve all probably witnessed is some of the challenges we’re having putting food on the table, and the RFDA is looking after people that are struggling with that. We really thought it was a great cause for us to help support,” Korchak said.
The $450,000 donation over two years has also helped with food procurement, logistics and storage.
Staal Fleet and Auto has also helped, providing the graded soil needed to keep the containers level at all times.