The NorWest Co-op Community Food Centre has officially opened in Winnipeg, Man., becoming the first facility of its kind in the city. Operated by the NorWest Co-op Community Health Centre (NorWest) in partnership with Community Food Centres Canada, the centre will help feed approximately 500 Winnipeg residents per week.

“The food centre will provide people of all ages with greater access to healthy food through free community meals,” says Melanie Wright, Manitoba’s Children and Youth Opportunities Minister. “There will also be community gardens, cooking classes and groups, education programs for kids, peer advocacy, community engagement and volunteering opportunities. All of these will make an enormous difference in the lives of people in the area.”

The centre, funded in part by the Manitoba government ($140,000), through the Community Places Program, includes a commercial kitchen with a community dining room, capable of seating up to 100 people. The facility is also equipped with accessibility upgrades.

Financing for the project was also provided through the Winnipeg Community Infrastructure Program, designed to provide grants for rehabilitation, improvement or expansion of not-for-profit or community facilities.