The Red Deer Food Bank is now growing fresh produce indoors thanks to a new hydroponic growing system.
Through a $75,000 grant from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a hydroponic sea can was purchased to grow fresh produce to support the food bank’s hamper program.
Previously, the food bank received limited amounts of fresh produce from grocery partners, making it difficult to provide enough to meet client demand.
The hydroponic facilities are now growing lettuce, spinach, radishes, herbs, Bok choy, and other leafy greens to complete the emergency hampers.
Executive director Mitch Thomson notes they planted their first crop this past fall.
"We're incredibly excited," he said. "Our tomatoes and our lettuce are absolutely wonderful. The Swiss chard, the kale. Everything's growing really well in our environment."
Thomson says they've been harvesting about 400 head of lettuce every week, adding there are about seven or eight different crops that the food bank is now growing that regularly contribute to hamper clients or emergency food people.
Some of the excess food is also being sold to the public.
"Our ultimate goal is to produce enough to support the emergency food clients that we have and also to distribute some of these fresh foods to rural food banks and also to build a sustainability model where we make some of these foods available to local restaurants and grocers."
The Red Deer Food Bank worked with a company out of Calgary called NuLeaf Farms. Thomson says they're using AI and the latest technologies to ensure that the plants are getting everything they need and that they are sustainable users of water and light.
The Jules Foundation also helped fund one of two hydroponic sea cans with a grant worth $75,000. Thomson adds they also have partnerships with Olds College and Red Deer Polytechnic as they support the food bank's energy efficiencies and help with the master gardening approach to food production.
In addition, the Co-op Community Food Farm will produce nearly a million cherry tomatoes a year to supplement the fresh produce selection available for their emergency food hamper program.
The food bank has hired two horticulturalists in addition to about seven volunteers who are participating in the grow spaces on a weekly basis.
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