A Lowertown recreation centre is blocking a local food bank from moving in to a neighbouring building
In the heart of Lowertown, a food bank faces the uphill battle of meeting soaring demand while grappling with space constraints. Despite the promise of a new facility, access hurdles stand in the way.
Catherine Dubois has dedicated a year to volunteering at the Lowertown Food Bank on Beausoleil Street. She's worried about the cramped conditions.
"It's clearly too small, it's clearly overwhelmed by all of the food that has come here," said Dubois.
The Lowertown Food Bank is unable to expand services due to space limitations.
"The services that we would like to see in our community can't be offered because the food bank, at the present time, it takes over the whole space," says Dubois. "So we can't offer homework clubs, for example. We can't offer groups for early years for the little ones in our community."
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
Originally never intended as a food bank location, the Lowertown Community Centre had no choice but to address the overwhelming demand for food.
The City has tried to respond to the great need and a motion was adopted by City Council in October and November 2023, advocating moving the food bank to the municipal building at 40 Cobourg St.
Patro d'Ottawa Rec Centre. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)
"It's been really disheartening to see the great increase in demand for the services in the food bank. But it's also meant that unfortunately, the space here, which was inappropriate for a food bank at the beginning, is now bursting at the seams," says Matt Beutel, Executive Director of the Lowertown Community Resource Centre. "Unfortunately, we haven't been able to access that (Coburg Street) space because a mobility access ramp has been denied to us."
The reluctance to share access to the ramp, owned by the adjacent recreation center, is a mystery for many.
Patro d'Ottawa Rec Centre ramp. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)
The councillor for the area is hoping an agreement can be made after years of being denied access.
"You know, something like a food bank is not really, let's just say, a place to kind of play these games where you're saying this side is mine, that side is yours. We really need to come together as a community and I'm really hoping that we can broker some sort of arrangement so people can have food in their bellies. At the end of the day, that's all that matters," said Rideau-Vanier Ward Coun. Stéphanie Plante.
The community centre says the new facilities would make it easier to serve thousands more families every year. But many of their clients have mobility issues. Without the ramp, there is no way to operate here.
"It's hard to understand why access to a ramp is the only stumbling block for this high-needs community to have what it deserves," said Beutel.
Right now, the Lowertown Food Bank is forced to turn down food donations because they have nowhere to store it and that means turning away families in need.
"We'd just like an adequate space for all of these folks that are coming because I think, at the very least, they deserve to have this service which is so essential to their well-being," said Dubois.
CTV News reached out to the recreation centre but did not hear back.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.