Stoney Creek Community Food Bank moving to former Creek United Church

When the city purchased the land and church last year, Ward 10 Councillor Maria Pearson mentioned the potential expansion of Saltfleet Go-Ahead soccer fields and/or parking lots on the property, as well as an arena or pool.

The city purchased the church for $3.2 million, with $230,000 coming from the Stoney Creek Reserve and $1.1 million coming from the Taro Reserve.
City staff are in the process of discussions with various groups and the city plans to use the site for recreation and community programs.
Diane LaPointe-Kay, the city’s senior director of recreation said the land will be used for sports fields.
The Stoney Creek Community Food Bank will move by the end of June or early July, according to the city’s manager of Corporate Buildings and Technical Services.
But food bank chair Wilf Rogers is not happy about it.

Rom D’Angelo said there is no specific date for the move, but the food bank and Seniors Outreach Services will move into the former Creek Community Church on Highway 8 near Fruitland Road.
The city bought the church last spring and plans to use the 33,000-square-foot facility as a community centre and its 6.38 acres of land for future development.
Rogers says he is open to having discussions with anyone in the area who has an alternate location available.
The food bank has been in its current location, at the old firehall at 13 Lake Ave. S. for 19 years. Rogers fears the move out of the centre of town will make it more difficult for clients to access the service. He said many of his workers are seniors who live in the core and walk to work.

“We have exhausted every possible site. The firehall is in a dramatic state of disrepair and renovations are prohibitive in terms of cost. It is a safety risk and we are not willing to take that risk,” said Ward 9 councillor Brad Clark.
“The new location is on a bus route. The clientele will still be able to get there. I don’t have that concern. We have renovated it so that there is a private entry at the back of the church. This is all at no cost. I don’t know what else I can do.”

Renovations were also done to add a loading dock for the food bank, which serves about 600 people a month.
D’Angelo said the firehall will either be demolished or declared surplus.

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By ABIGAIL CUKIER, NEWS STAFF, STONEY CREEK NEWS