Community Connections Society of Southeast BC receives $1 million to create long- term food security infrastructure in Cranbrook

In the Kootenays, community food security faces disruptions from extreme weather, road closures, and economic instability. Food supply chain resilience was boosted June 10 with the announcement of the Cranbrook Food Innovation Centre thanks to a $1 million investment through United Way British Columbia (United Way BC)’s Large Food Infrastructure Grant, in partnership with the Government of British Columbia through the Ministry of Social Development & Poverty Reduction.

Community Connections Society of Southeast BC (CCSSEBC) will transform an ordinary building into the Cranbrook Food Innovation Centre — a food storage, processing, and commercial kitchen facility that will strengthen local food security programs, improve food recovery, and support food entrepreneurs for years to come.

The Cranbrook Food Innovation Centre will serve as a centralized space for food recovery, aggregation, and meal production. Local organizations will access bulk storage and refrigeration, while food entrepreneurs can use affordable kitchen space for value-added production, benefiting both community food programs and the local economy.

This Cranbrook Food Innovation Centre will address key food system challenges in the region, including:

• Limited access to affordable, nutritious, and locally sourced food for food security organizations, social service agencies, and low-income households.
• Insufficient food recovery, storage, and distribution infrastructure, leading to inefficiencies and food waste.
• A lack of commercial kitchen space and business support for food entrepreneurs, limiting opportunities for local food businesses to grow.
• Challenges in food supply chain resilience, with disruptions caused by extreme weather, road closures, and economic instability.

This project is supported by the $14 million Critical Food Infrastructure Fund (CFIF), announced by the Government of BC in September 2023, spanning three years and administered by United Way British Columbia. The CFIF supports community food infrastructure projects by providing grants to increase capacity to offer nutritious and culturally preferred food to people who need it.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to be building the Cranbrook Food Innovation Centre—it’s a game changer for our community. As food prices continue to rise, food security has become one of the most urgent issues facing families in our region. This new space gives us the ability to expand our vital programs like Cranbrook Food Recovery, the School Meal Program, and Community Meals—programs that are already making a real difference every day,” said Sophie Larsen, COO-Good Food Programs, Community Connections Society of SEBC.

“We’re also excited to bring back much-loved initiatives like Farm Kitchen and cooking classes. We will also be exploring new opportunities for local food entrepreneurs, farmers and consumers! We are so grateful for the community support of the project this far – from those who walked through potential spaces with us, to community members who came together, loudly, to champion our work – thank you! We will be doing renovations this summer and we can’t wait to open our doors to celebrate this amazing community asset as well as delicious local food with everyone!”

“I commend Meredith, Sophie, and the rest of our Good Food team at Community Connections, for their diligence in securing this location where food staff and the community have space to collaborate and grow. Similar co-locations have helped create efficiencies for our Children and Family programming and our adult-oriented programs. I look forward to walking in to find local food entrepreneurs in the Farm Kitchen, recovered food being sorted and turned into community meals, and all our food program staff and volunteers in their new collaborative space,” said Nancy Reid, Executive Director, Community Connections Society of SEBC.

“This Food Innovation Centre represents not just the dedication of our local team in making this purchase happen, not just the support of United Way BC, Ministry of Social Development & Poverty Reduction and the Columbia Basin Trust, but also the hard work, creativity and caring that Cranbrook residents have shown for each other when it comes to food. We want this space to be a resource for our community, and honour the food system we have built up over the years. The Food Innovation Centre will support community efforts to make this food system even more sustainable and resilient for years to come,” added Meredith Funston, COO-Good Food Programs, Community Connections Society of SEBC.

“This vital investment will address critical gaps in the local food system while supporting community resilience and entrepreneurship. United Way BC is proud to partner with the Community Connections Society and the provincial government to establish permanent infrastructure that will strengthen regional food security for generations to come,” said Alžběta Sabová, Director, Food Security, United Way British Columbia.

“We all want people to have access to nutritious food, so we’re taking more action to help people withstand the impacts of the trade war and global inflation. That’s why on top of hundreds of other projects, we’ve funded new critical infrastructure that helps people access fresh food in the Kootenays and throughout the province,” stated Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.

Photo submitted

Community Connections Society of Southeast BC

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