In downtown Regina, Saskatchewan, a quiet but powerful transformation is reshaping how a community feeds itself. It is not a charity handout, not a soup kitchen, and not the kind of food bank that most people picture. It is a grocery store without price tags, where people in need shop with dignity and choice.
Inside, the shelves are neatly stocked with fresh fruits, vegetables, local grains, and proteins sourced from Saskatchewan farmers. Parents push shopping carts. Children chatter in the aisles. There are smiles, greetings, and a sense of normalcy that feels both ordinary and extraordinary.
This is the BMO Asahtowikamik Community Food Hub, Canada’s first large-scale free grocery store. It represents a turning point in how communities across the country might address food insecurity, blending compassion with innovation to build something sustainable and deeply humane.
The Long Road from Temporary Solution to Lasting Necessity
When the Regina Food Bank first opened its doors in 1983, it was never meant to last. High inflation had left many families struggling, and a small group of volunteers created what they thought would be a short-term solution. Within a year, the organization had already outgrown its first basement space, overwhelmed by demand. Four decades later, that demand has not diminished. It has exploded.
In its first year, the Regina Food Bank fed just over 500 families. Today, more than 14,000 people rely on it every month. The organization now distributes over 13,000 pounds of food daily. Despite its founders’ hopes that hunger would eventually be eradicated, the opposite has happened.
According to Food Banks Canada’s 2025 HungerCount report, nearly 2.2 million people visited food banks across the country in March 2025 alone, almost double the number from six years earlier. Saskatchewan saw a five percent increase in demand compared to 2024. In Regina, CEO John Bailey has watched the number of clients rise by 20 percent in just one year.
“The scale of need is something we’ve never experienced before,” Bailey said. “It’s not just people without jobs. We’re seeing people working full-time who still can’t afford food.”
The food bank that began as a temporary fix is now an essential part of the city’s social fabric. Yet Bailey and his team refuse to accept that dependence on emergency food assistance is inevitable. Instead, they are working to redesign how it operates, focusing on dignity, choice, and long-term empowerment.
Why the Old Model Needed to Change
Traditional food banks typically rely on what’s called the “hamper model.” Donors give non-perishable food items, volunteers pack boxes, and clients pick them up. While the system is efficient, it also leaves people with little control over what they receive. For those with dietary restrictions, allergies, or cultural food preferences, this can be frustrating and even unhealthy.
“It’s something difficult to do, to come to the food bank,” said Evelyn Cerda, Vice President of Impact and Partnerships at the Regina Food Bank. “We want to serve people the best we can, with dignity, providing them with choice and healthy foods they can enjoy.”
That idea became the foundation for the Asahtowikamik Community Food Hub, named using the Cree word for “feeding lodge.” Opened in 2024, it operates like a regular grocery store. People walk through the aisles, select their items, and check out at the counter. There are no prices and no cash registers, only a sense of belonging.
This approach removes the stigma often attached to receiving help. “When you give choices, you give dignity,” said David Froh, Vice President of the Regina Food Bank. “We figure we can actually feed about 25 percent more people this way, because there’s less waste. People take what they need and what they’ll use.”
The freedom to choose also means less food ends up in the trash. Families no longer receive items they don’t want or can’t eat, and that efficiency helps stretch resources further.
Feeding More Than Bodies
At its core, the new food hub is about more than distributing food. It is about restoring confidence and stability in people’s lives.
“People feel less food insecure just by choosing what they need,” said Bailey. “It actually increases a sense of food security by five to ten percent. That feeling of control is powerful.”
The idea aligns with a growing body of research showing that autonomy and respect are key factors in improving mental well-being among people experiencing poverty. When individuals are treated not as passive recipients but as capable participants, it can change how they view themselves and their future.
One visitor, a single mother named Sarah Wilson, understands that transformation firsthand. Seven years ago, after leaving a relationship and raising five daughters alone, she found herself with just $165 left in her monthly budget. The food bank helped her bridge that impossible gap.
“Those hampers kept my fridge from being empty,” she recalled. “I only used it a few times, but it gave me time to get back on my feet.”
Today, Wilson volunteers weekly at the food bank, helping others through similar situations. “I always let people know I used to use the food bank too,” she said. “It’s about community. You never know when you’ll need help again.”
A Space Designed for Choice and Community
The new food hub occupies a former government building in downtown Regina, purchased for $750,000 and transformed into a warm, light-filled space through a $5 million fundraising campaign. Every dollar came from the community, through corporate sponsors, local businesses, and individual donors.
BMO contributed one million dollars to the project, giving the space its official name: the BMO Asahtowikamik Community Food Hub. Other donors, from small family-owned companies to school children collecting coins, added what they could.
Inside, the design mirrors that of a modern grocery store. There are separate sections for produce, dairy, grains, and proteins. Signs proudly display the names of local farms and suppliers who help keep the shelves stocked. About half of the food comes from Saskatchewan producers, supporting local agriculture while reducing transportation costs and emissions.
Partnerships with organizations such as Second Harvest and the Loblaw Distribution Centre ensure a steady flow of fresh, high-quality ingredients. According to the food bank, between 20,000 and 50,000 pounds of food arrive each week through these collaborations.
The hub also incorporates education and social programming. Workshops on nutrition, budgeting, and food literacy help families plan healthy meals and manage limited resources. Indigenous-led programs focus on traditional food practices and community wellness.
Outside, a courtyard and playground offer a place for families to gather, children to play, and neighbors to connect. “We want it to feel like a community space, not a service,” said Bailey. “That’s how real change happens.”
Hunger Beyond the Numbers
The scale of food insecurity in Canada today is staggering. According to Queen’s University professor Elaine Power, who has studied the issue for three decades, one in four Canadians is food insecure. Most never go to food banks, even when they struggle to eat regularly.
“Food banks are just the tip of the iceberg,” Power explained. “Even when people do use them, they’re still food insecure. The only real solution is increasing people’s income so they can buy their own food.”
She and other experts have called for a national basic income program to help lift Canadians out of poverty. They argue that while community-led solutions like Regina’s hub are vital, they must work alongside broader policy changes that address the root causes of inequality.
At the same time, community-driven initiatives like Asahtowikamik prove that local action matters. They show that even without sweeping government reforms, people can design systems that reflect compassion and fairness.
A Lesson from the Past: Forty Years of Adaptation
The Regina Food Bank’s history offers a remarkable story of persistence. Founded by a man named Ed Bloos, it began as a small group of volunteers working out of the basement of a rental building. By the 1990s, it had already moved twice to keep up with growing demand.
Over the years, the food bank has continually expanded its mission. Under former CEO Wayne Hellquist, it added a library, a teaching kitchen, and pre-employment programs. The idea was always to help people beyond their immediate hunger, to give them skills and opportunities to improve their lives.
Volunteerism has been the organization’s lifeblood. In May 2023 alone, volunteers contributed over 14,000 hours of service. Among them is 72-year-old Betty Donald, a former nurse who lost her sight and suffered multiple brain tumors. Unable to continue her medical career, she began volunteering three days a week at the food bank in 2017.
“I had to find another way to help people,” Donald said. “The food bank gave me that chance.”
Her story captures what makes the Regina Food Bank unique: it is as much about the volunteers as it is about the clients. Both groups are united by a simple desire to make life a little better for others.
Empowering the Next Generation
The food bank’s work extends beyond adults. It supports eight schools in Regina with daily sandwiches and salads, pantry items for families, and weekend snack packs for children.
At Albert Community School, principal Angela Hutton runs a take-home snack program supported by the food bank. Each week, senior students help distribute bags filled with porridge, applesauce, and other nutritious snacks to their classmates.
“The kids love it,” Hutton said. “They’ll trade snacks on the playground, and sometimes they take extras home to share with their parents and siblings.”
This small act of sharing reflects something deeper: the way community support can ripple outward, nurturing empathy and connection across generations.
A Cultural Symbol of Hope
The name Asahtowikamik carries deep significance. Gifted by Elder Murray Ironchild of Piapot First Nation, it means “feeding lodge” in Cree. The term represents nourishment not only for the body but for relationships, culture, and spirit.
“Food is medicine,” said community leader Cadmus Delorme. “And medicine helps heal families, culture, and kinship together.”
That philosophy has guided every aspect of the project. By acknowledging Indigenous traditions and centering respect and reciprocity, the hub connects the fight against hunger to a larger story of reconciliation and community healing.
A Blueprint for the Future
As news of Regina’s free grocery store spreads, food banks across Canada are watching closely. Smaller “choice model” programs exist elsewhere, but none have reached this scale or sophistication. The Asahtowikamik hub operates full-time, five days a week, serving thousands of families with consistency and dignity.
If it proves sustainable, it could reshape how Canada approaches food insecurity entirely. Other cities are already expressing interest in replicating the model. Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Toronto have all reached out to learn from Regina’s experience.
Bailey believes this is only the beginning. “We’re not just handing out food,” he said. “We’re building a community that believes everyone deserves respect, no matter their circumstances.”
The Challenges Ahead
Success, however, will depend on continued community support. The Regina Food Bank receives no ongoing government funding for its daily operations. Everything depends on donations, partnerships, and volunteer efforts. Keeping shelves stocked, running programs, and maintaining the new space all require consistent resources.
Yet the sense of hope remains strong. “Every little bit helps,” said Froh. “We’ve seen what people can do when they come together.”
Even as demand continues to grow, the organization remains grounded in optimism. Volunteers still arrive each morning to unpack boxes of food. Families still walk through the doors to shop. And every interaction reinforces the message that compassion can look practical, modern, and empowering.
Restoring Dignity One Basket at a Time
The story of Regina’s Community Food Hub is not just about food; it is about reimagining what it means to care for one another. In a world where economic pressures can make people feel powerless, being able to walk through a grocery store, choose your own food, and leave with your head held high is a quiet act of resistance.
It redefines charity as partnership, service as solidarity. It proves that feeding people with dignity is not a luxury but a necessity.
One day, perhaps, this model will spread across Canada, transforming food banks into spaces of empowerment and belonging. When that happens, the seeds of that transformation will be traced back to a single building in downtown Regina, where shelves full of food became shelves full of hope.
Because at the heart of Asahtowikamik is a simple truth: when people are trusted with choice, they choose dignity. And that choice can change everything. “
