Jungbunzlauer Canada Gifts $45,000+ to Help Port Cares Launch A Greenhouse Operation to Supply Foodbank with Fresh Produce

It’s soon to be green thumbs at Port Cares ReachOut Centre and Food Bank thanks to Jungbunzlauer Canada’s gift of $45,500 tolaunch a vertical grow greenhouse operation at the local food bank location tosupply year-round fresh produce for distribution to low income local residents.

“It’s getting harder and harder to put healthy foodon the table for families across Canada. Food bank usage is at an all time highand the price of groceries keeps going up. As a leading charity we wanted toshift from our reliance on precious gifts of fresh produce, to being moreself-reliant and self-supporting – that’s where the idea to grow some of ourown fresh produce supply came from,” explains Christine Clark Lafleur, PortCares’ Chief Executive Officer. “We proposed the idea to Jungbunzlauer Canadaand they immediately stepped up with a gift of $45,500 to help fund the greenhouse structure and equipment.”

JungbunzlauerCanada officials presented Port Cares with a cheque in the amount of $45,500today enabling the charity to move forward with the procurement of a verticalgrow green house system. Dependent on the size of the unit, it will be locatedeither at a nearby property or at the Reach Out Centre itself.

Jungbunzlaueris a leading producer of high-quality, sustainable ingredients from naturalsources, serving industries from food and beverage, to nutrition, health, homeand personal care, among others. Headquarteredin Basel, Switzerland, with state-of-the-art facilities including large-scalefermentation operations across Europe and in Canada, the company proudly servesmore than 130 countries worldwide. Jungbunzlauer Canada has been operating the PortColborne manufacturing plant since 2002 and has long been a corporate supporterof Port Cares FoodBank.

”We were truly impressed by Port Cares’ proposal tolaunch a greenhouse supply for the food bank. It showed innovation and asolutions-based approach to one of our nation’s most difficult challenges –poverty and food security, “says Mike Smith, Chief Financial Officer for JungbunzlauerCanada.  “We are extremely proud to movethis project forward through our investment.“

Meagan Gallant, Supervisor for the Reach Out Centrefood bank reports that with the JBL investment the organization isshort-listing a handful of greenhouse equipment suppliers. “We are looking atgreenhouse solutions that are made in Canada, offer environmental advantageslike solar power as well as leading practices such as vertical growing. It alsohas to be user friendly as we will be recruiting volunteers to man theoperation. Our goal is to have the greenhouse installed and operational by latefall when we see perishable food donations diminish.” The greenhouse will beoperated year-round.

Moreand more vulnerable families are having to rely on charities like Port Cares toget by,” says Clark Lafleur. “Port Cares is honoured to have the support and backingof a company like Jungbunzlauer Canada which is a leader in its field and has atrack record of excellence. We are grateful that they believe in what we do.”