Community grocery store update

Well, it has been many many months since I've written anything on this here blog, and I thought I good way to break the ice would be a completely impersonal but important note about the possibility of a community grocery store that has been in discussion and investigation since the close of the Loeb on Booth St. I have been doing a bit of volunteering for these folks and I look forward to opportunities to get further involved. Particularly, I think the experience of helping to set up a co-op (one discussed possibility) would be a valuable one. If you're interested in food security in the Chinatown region, I recommend getting in touch with Heather, who's contacts are listed below.

Hello Somerset West Community Grocery Store Supporters!

Many of you have been inquiring as to the status of the Somerset West Community Grocery Store and we would like to provide an update, as many things have been happening.

Firstly, the feasibility study is complete (thank you very much to all volunteers!) and the Executive Summary of the report is available at www.swchc.on.ca. If you would like to review the entire study please email heather@justfood.ca or ewilliams@swchc.on.ca. The feasibility study concludes that a small grocery store (between 4,500sq ft - 6,000 sq ft) is financially viable in the community. To understand the methodology please read through the feasibility study document.

As a result of the positive feasibility study, the community grocery store Advisory Committee met with a number of potential community partners in March. The objective of the meeting was to explore opportunities to partner and use the old Loeb building space for a community grocery store, plus additional community programs and small businesses. Those in attendance took a tour of the old Loeb building, spoke with the realtor and got a sense of the work required to make the building safe and useable.

Currently, the potential partners are reviewing their interest in partnering on the project, and the advisory committee are reviewing the opportunities and challenges presented by the old Loeb building location and structure. The potential partners and advisory committee members will be meeting again in the coming months to propose the next steps.

We thank you for your continued support and interest. We will continue to send out updates as we progress through this work. We will also plan a community meeting in the coming months and will let you know when and where it will be held.

Just so you all know ... my role as a consultant on this project has ended, however Just Food has kindly provided me some time to work on this project until the next project phase is reached. Therefore, I will be able to continue communicating with you all. If you have any questions please let me know - and please use this email address as opposed to my previous yahoo account.

If you would like to be removed from this email distribution list please reply with your desire to removed.

Sincerely,

Heather & the Community Grocery Store Advisory Committee

____________________________________________
Heather Hossie
Just Food/Alimentation Juste &
Savour Ottawa/Savourez Ottawa
613-236-9300 ext./poste 305
heather@justfood.ca
www.justfood.ca & www.savourottawa.ca