Former COVID visitation pod tabbed for Vita food bank

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/08/2023 (759 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A former COVID-19 pandemic visitation shelter will soon serve the community of Vita as its first food bank.

The now-at-least-twice repurposed shipping container is one of 105 formerly owned by the province and since decommissioned from their role as outdoor all-season visitation centres for personal care homes.

Many have since gone to not-for-profit organizations, First Nations and municipalities across Manitoba. The one recently acquired by the small community of Vita (some 50 kilometres south of Steinbach) has been tabbed as its first food bank.

The idea is the brainchild of Jane Roman, a Vita resident who has seen the need grow for some time, having also served on the board of the local Christmas Cheer group, which distributes out food hampers to families during the holiday season.

She founded the Vita Area Food Bank Committee, which now has six other members.

“Last year, we counted how many people from the Vita area that we serve drive to Grunthal to get their food hampers (provided by the Grunthal Caring Hands Food Bank) every two weeks,” Roman said. “It becomes more apparent what the need is when you see those numbers.”

Grunthal is some 50-km driving distance from Vita (recent census population of 512 people).

Roman said when the community acquired the shipping container (a move pushed for by local MLA Dennis Smook), she realized it was the perfect solution to a long-standing problem.

“There’s not a lot of spaces, this is a small town, that would be suitable for food storage or distribution and things like that,” Roman said.

Prior to recent efforts to set up a food bank in Vita, residents in need had to travel to Grunthal. Since March, however, the committee has organized for someone to drive and collect those hampers and bring them back to Vita.

Roman was still unsure when the food bank will be fully operational, as it awaits applied-for charitable tax status. Additionally, appropriate space needs to be secured for the former visitation pod.

Once the group is fully operational, it will operate through donations, she said.

graham.mcdonald@freepress.mb.ca