REGINA – Lining the shelves in the new library will be bread and milk and other staples.
The library has only been open for a few days and already it’s drawing a crowd.
“Every day from Monday to Friday, we’ve been putting in food items on the shelves in the building on the courtyard where people can come and access and if they have a need for food”, Sandy Wankel of North Central Family Centre (NCFC) explained.
The library building is not your average building at all; just a few shelves in a small shack outside the North Central Family Centre.
However, for people sometimes struggling to buy groceries, it’s much more.
“It’s very important actually. When my nephew comes and family I can just come here actually and know it’s there so we don’t have to worry about food,” John Dodman said.
With the current price of produce and groceries on the rise, Wankel said she’s seeing more seniors and young mothers at the centre.
“I think we forget how hard it is if you don’t have a good nutritious meal.”
“Especially with the children, that has to be a top priority to make sure none are falling through the cracks in our society,” Wankel said.
The library cost roughly $3000 but was given to the North Central Family Centre, free of charge.
“For us, we feel it’s our responsibility to make a continual contribution to the city and the people that make it up, no matter where they are in life.”
“We measure the success of our business not just by how many houses we build, but by the impact we have on the community,” Trademark Homes GM Tyson Liske said.
Food is currently donated by Sobeys, but the centre is hoping the public will take a page out of their sponsor’s book, and contribute more to the shelves.
“We thought we would open it up to the whole city. A lot of people if they’re going on vacation or something, they have leftovers, that they don’t want to be stuck with the goodies in the house, then they can just leave it on our shelves”, Wankel gushed.
Anyone can check in during their business hours from 1:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. No membership is required, and unlike all libraries, what you borrow, you don’t need to return.
“So when people are on the streets, they don’t have to worry about food, cause it’s always there in the yard”.
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