Press Release - New Facility Construction Underway

Construction of the new Durham Outlook Facility Fully Underway

Press Release - May 10, 2021

As part of their mission to alleviate food insecurity with dignity and respect, Durham Outlook for the Needy is constructing a new facility to be able to continue supporting the needy in the Durham Region. The construction is now fully underway. With a target opening of December 2021, the new kitchen will open just in time to celebrate Christmas with volunteers, patrons, and the wider community.

Durham Outlook initially began the construction of the new facility in 2017 when the existing kitchen could no longer support the needs of the community and had no room for expansion or renovation. The charity faced significant setbacks when environmental issues were found on the land. The required clean-up cost DOFN half the funds they had raised for the construction of the new facility. The construction was put on hold for more than two years as the organization worked to find donors and host fundraising events.

Unable to serve their community at the kitchen due to the government mandated shut-down during the COVID19 pandemic, DOFN made the critical decision to sell their existing facility to raise additional funds to get construction of the new kitchen underway. All funds from the sale of the current location are going directly to the Building Campaign fund. But more funding is needed to provide furnishings, equipment, and the final touches at the new kitchen. An additional $500,000.00 CAD is still needed to ensure that the facility will be up and running to support a post-COVID community, which has seen a dramatic increase in food insecurity.

“The process of getting this project underway has been difficult, and at times disheartening. Seeing the construction fully underway at the Simcoe site now is such a relief, and gives both us at DOFN and the community we serve a sense of hope,” says Valerie Moreton Director of Operations & Fundraising. “The new facility will help us serve our community with dignity and, importantly, continue to operate safely under COVID19 protocols, if needed. It’s especially important because the effects of the pandemic are significant, especially in terms of food insecurity, and have made the need for our work even more important.”

When completed, the Durham Outlook will operate 365 days a year, serving approximately 50,000 people a year and include the kitchen, food distribution, food bank, and thrift store to support patrons.

ABOUT DURHAM OUTLOOK FOR THE NEEDY

Durham Outlook for the Needy (DOFN) operates the only dinner services of its kind in the Durham Region. For 30 years, DOFN has supported the community through St Vincent Pallotti’s Kitchen by providing a meal 365 days a year to any person who walks through the doors. 1.4 Million meals have been served at the kitchen, with an average of 200 meals a day, to some of the community’s most vulnerable people - including senior citizens, families with small children, at-risk youth, people with disabilities, and those who are homeless.

DOFN’s mission is to offer dignity, hope, and compassion to those who need it most. Help support DOFN’s mission by contributing to the DOFN Building Campaign Fund today (durhamoutlook.com/new-building/building-campaign) will help ensure that we can support our Durham community.