People’s Pantry to set up shop in Port Moody following two-year search

Less than one month after the demolition of their Port Coquitlam headquarters, the People’s Pantry food recovery society is slated to hand out hampers in Port Moody.

The People’s Pantry, which gives groceries to hundreds of people experiencing food insecurity each week, is tentatively scheduled to reopen March 10 on Hope Street.

“While we know we’re losing some long term clients and volunteers, we know we’ll probably find new folks at our new location,” the organization’s executive director Alice Hale wrote in an email to the Dispatch.

With 50 volunteers and two part-time employees, the food recovery society had operated out of Elks Hall in Leigh Square since 2020. However, the property was sold in 2022, leaving the organization scrambling to find a new location.

“it’s been keeping me up,” Hale said earlier this year. “Especially as we keep adding new families.”

Initially, People’s Pantry volunteers were handing out about hampers for about 140 residents. By the end of 2023, the organization was handing out hampers for about 300 people, approximately half of whom are children.

Finding an affordable location that could accommodate freezers, coolers and five or six folding tables proved difficult, Hale said. The organization has been searching for space since 2021. However, commercial market rents in some locations ranged from $5,000 to $10,000 – far beyond what they can afford, Hale noted.

“Surely there’s . . . someone out there who’s experienced food insecurity and has become quite successful and maybe has a little corner of a commercial space,” she said earlier this year.

Last week, Hale singled out Pasta Polo proprietor Fred Soofi for offering the People’s Pantry space in the building.

“We are very relieved that we have found a new space!” she wrote.

Besides feeding hungry people, the People’s Pantry also keeps food out of the landfill, Hale said, noting they recently collected more than 1,000 kilograms of produce in one day.