Food Rescue renovates new space in mall
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/03/2024 (804 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
As the date for the relocation of Brandon’s Food Rescue Grocery Store to its new premises draws near, the former site of Fitness Quest in The Town Centre wears a new look.
Set to commence operations by April 3, Food Rescue retail lead and manager Elizabeth Morrow said the renovated space is poised to revolutionize the way the organization operates.
“We’ve wanted a space to separate our rescue items from other locally made products we got from all over Manitoba,” Morrow told the Sun. “In the old space, people are confused about where the rescue product starts and where the vendor product begins.”
Seen through the front doors of the future home of Brandon’s Food Rescue Grocery Store, Donovan Kimball, the store’s logistics support, wields a drywall trowel as he helps ready the store for its April 3 opening on Thursday afternoon. (Photos by Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun)
Operating hours in the new location will change slightly, Morrow said, adding the group had consulted with the public to determine their preferences. Previously, they had been open from Thursday through Sunday. “Now, we would adjust the hours from Wednesday through Saturday and open an hour earlier as well. We hope that more people will feel more comfortable coming because they’ve got more space and time available.”
John Howard Society of Brandon executive director Ross Robinson said the ongoing renovation of the new space comes with a price tag exceeding $30,000.
“The renovations of this space and the move will be more than $30,000, and that’s funded through the store,” Robinson told the Sun. “People need to know that we are self-sustaining and we don’t operate on government grants or anything like that. We do everything to provide a better experience for the customer and a better experience for the staff.”
Among the notable enhancements, he said, is the introduction of a refillery, a collaboration with Renu, offering eco-friendly alternatives for personal care products.
“It’s all locally made products, which is one of the things that we try to do here. And we’ve reduced packaging and stuff going to the landfill, which is what we tried to do.”
John Howard Society executive director Ross Robinson (left) stands with Elizabeth Morrow, the retail lead for Brandon’s Food Rescue Grocery Store, and logistics support Donovan Kimball in the store’s future home in The Town Centre mall on Thursday afternoon. Renovations to the new space, which is more than double the current space of the Food Rescue’s Rosser Avenue location, are moving forward in anticipation of an April 3 opening.
Robinson also emphasized the capacity benefits of the new location, noting the space is approximately 2,000 square feet — about 1,200 square feet more than the current space on Rosser Avenue.
And should the need arise, he said, the new location opens avenues for future expansion.
“But our initial thing will be to extend our hours to provide more opportunity before we extend our space.”
With the relocation of Food Rescue to its new premises, Robinson said, “the organization aims to redefine the landscape of community support and sustainability in Brandon. The transformative changes signify a step forward in fulfilling their mission of combating food waste while fostering a thriving, inclusive community.”
» aodutola@brandonsun.com
John Howard Society executive director Ross Robinson (centre) answers a question from Sun business reporter Abiola Odutola about the ongoing renovations to the future home of Brandon’s Food Rescue Grocery Store in The Town Centre on Thursday afternoon.
» X: @AbiolaOdutola
Elizabeth Morrow, the retail lead for Brandon’s Food Rescue Grocery Store, speaks with Sun business reporter Abiola Odutola during a tour of the new facility in The Town Centre Mall on Thursday afternoon.