Brand new van to help Barrie Food Bank process more than 2 million pounds of donated food

Barrie Food Bank staff, volunteers and community partners helped unveil its new refrigerated van Tuesday morning, one that will help feed more students and recover more food across the community.

Compared to the food bank’s other aging vehicles, the brand new $108,000 Ford T-350 offers more cargo space, refrigeration and more head room for staff and volunteers to operate.

“With (our) fleet of three vehicles, we should be able to process more than 2 million pounds of donated food from our community to help support the now 8,000 individuals who are coming to us each month,” said Executive Director Karen Shuh.

John Del Monaco will be one of the vehicle’s main drivers.

“It’s much needed and long overdue. The other van we have is getting a little beaten up, so this is fantastic,” said Del Monaco. “It’s so much higher too, so we’re able to stand up in it and it can handle a lot more food.”

According to the Barrie Food Bank, more than 1.7 million pounds of food were donated in 2025, including more than 700,000 pounds of nutritious perishables.

The van will function as a crucial carrier for those food recovery efforts and the School Fuel Program, which serves 34 local schools and feeds more than 8,500 children with healthy snacks.

“This was just a remarkable donation on behalf of Food Banks Canada and a vote of confidence for what we’re doing here at Barrie Food Bank,” added Shuh.

Food Banks Canada provided $108,617 in funding through the School Food Infrastructure Fund.

“With one in three food bank clients in Canada being children, the need has never been greater,” said Kirstin Beardsley, Food Banks Canada CEO, in part of her statement to CTV News. “This van will have a direct impact in Barrie, helping ensure children and families who need it most have reliable access to nutritious food. Investments like this strengthen local food systems and help ensure children have the meals they need to learn, grow and reach their full potential.”

Eight of the supporting local community partners are highlighted on the van, which was supplied and customized by Barrie Ford.

“We’re long supporters of the food bank here from Barrie Ford for the last 30 years,” said Dominic Lazzaro, Barrie Ford Managing Partner. “What they do and provide to our community is so important, and it means a lot for our staff that — on behalf of our team here and our customers — we can give back to our community.”

The addition of the van comes just as the Barrie Food Bank’s ‘Spring to Action’ campaign finished by raising just of $200,000 and collecting nearly 200,000 pounds of food.

The food bank now operates three vans six days a week, collecting from 14 local grocery stores and other community sources.