Canada Just Opened a Grocery Store Where Everything Is Free and It’s Changing Lives

When shoppers walk through the doors of Regina’s newest grocery store, they find shelves stacked with colorful produce, coolers filled with milk and cheese, and aisles neatly lined with grains and proteins from Saskatchewan farmers. There are shopping carts, checkout counters, and the familiar hum of conversation. But there is one detail that sets this place apart from every other supermarket in Canada: no one pays.

This is the BMO Asahtowikamik Community Food Hub in Regina, Saskatchewan, a first-of-its-kind grocery store where everything is free for those in need. The hub is part of a bold initiative by the Regina Food Bank to rethink how communities fight hunger. Rather than distributing boxes of nonperishable food, the new model restores dignity and choice to people who are struggling to put meals on the table.

A Radical Response to a Growing Crisis

Food insecurity has become one of Canada’s most pressing social challenges. In 2024, more than 10 million Canadians lived in food-insecure households, including 2.5 million children. Saskatchewan recorded one of the highest rates in the country, with more than 30 percent of residents lacking reliable access to nutritious food. The numbers are not just statistics; they represent families who skip meals to pay rent and children who arrive at school hungry.

Regina Food Bank CEO John Bailey describes the trend as a step change rather than a temporary spike. Food insecurity rose sharply during the pandemic and never fell back. Inflation and rising housing costs have pushed many working families to the edge. One of the fastest-growing groups now turning to food banks are fully employed people who simply cannot make ends meet.

In March 2025, food banks across Canada recorded more than 2.2 million visits, nearly double the number from six years earlier. The Regina Food Bank alone has seen a 20 percent increase in users in the past year. Each day, the organization distributes roughly 13,000 pounds of food to residents. With the need climbing higher each month, the question became how to create a model that could sustain both dignity and efficiency.

From Handouts to Empowerment

Traditional food banks rely on what is known as the hamper model. Volunteers pack boxes filled mostly with canned or boxed nonperishables, which clients pick up and take home. While the system is quick, it removes personal choice. Recipients often receive items that do not match their dietary needs or cultural preferences, and some of the food goes unused or to waste.

The new hub flips that model on its head. Registered clients can now shop by appointment every two weeks, walking through aisles that look and feel like any other grocery store. They choose what they want and take home approximately two hundred dollars’ worth of food per person. Half of the products are locally sourced from Saskatchewan farmers and producers, supporting the regional economy while keeping the food fresh and familiar.

Regina Food Bank vice-president David Froh explained that giving people a choice is about more than variety. It is about restoring autonomy and respect. When people can choose their own food, they feel more in control of their lives. It also reduces waste because people take only what they will actually use. Froh estimates that the choice model allows the organization to feed 25 percent more people with the same amount of food.

Building a Space That Feels Like Home

The BMO Asahtowikamik Community Food Hub occupies a converted government building in downtown Regina. The space was purchased for $750,000 and transformed through a $5 million fundraising campaign supported entirely by community donations. The project brought together local businesses, corporate sponsors, and residents who believed in creating a more humane way to help those in need. BMO contributed one million dollars, giving the hub its official name.

Inside, the design mirrors a modern grocery store. There are separate sections for produce, dairy, grains, and proteins. Signs display the names of Saskatchewan farms and suppliers. Partnerships with organizations such as SaskMilk, Saskatchewan Egg Producers, and Chicken Farmers of Saskatchewan ensure that a large portion of the food is both local and nutritious. Deliveries from Second Harvest and Loblaw Distribution Centres keep the shelves full, with up to 50,000 pounds of food arriving weekly.

Beyond food, the hub includes an outdoor garden, a playground, and a basketball court to encourage community connection. Indoors, visitors find educational spaces offering workshops on budgeting, nutrition, and meal planning. These programs aim to give families the tools to maintain food security and healthy habits long after they leave the hub.

Dignity, Culture, and Reconciliation

The hub is more than a food center; it is also a space for cultural respect and reconciliation. One of its most meaningful features is the Wâhkôwîcihiwêwin Room, or Reconciliation Room. Created through a $250,000 donation from Innovation Federal Credit Union, this quiet space allows Indigenous community members to gather for ceremonies, smudging, and reflection.

The name Asahtowikamik itself comes from the Cree language and means “feeding lodge.” It was gifted by Elder Murray Ironchild of the Piapot First Nation to represent nourishment for both body and spirit. The food hub’s leadership says this cultural grounding is not symbolic but essential. It acknowledges the deep connection between food, community, and healing, especially in a province where Indigenous families experience food insecurity at more than twice the rate of non-Indigenous households.

Dean Gagné from Innovation Federal Credit Union said the space was designed to support Indigenous-led education on food sovereignty and language. He explained that the long-term goal is to promote financial independence and food literacy while ensuring that no one is left behind.

Stories Behind the Shelves

The transformation of the Regina Food Bank has been decades in the making. It began in 1983 as a small volunteer effort during a period of high inflation. At the time, the founders thought it would be a short-term response to economic hardship. Within a year, the operation had already outgrown its basement headquarters. Today, the food bank supports over 14,000 people every month and remains one of the city’s most vital social services.

Over the years, the organization has evolved beyond emergency relief. Under past and current leadership, it has introduced literacy programs, a teaching kitchen, and partnerships with local schools. It now supplies daily lunches and weekend snack packs to eight schools across the city. Students at Albert Community School, for example, help distribute take-home snack bags for classmates, turning assistance into an act of shared responsibility.

Volunteers remain the heart of the operation. In May 2023 alone, they contributed more than 14,000 hours of service. Among them is 72-year-old Betty Donald, a former nurse who began volunteering after losing her sight and facing several health challenges. Her story reflects the mutual compassion that sustains the organization. As she put it, volunteering gave her another way to help people when she could no longer do so in her medical career.

The food bank’s impact extends far beyond food distribution. Canadian studies have shown that food insecurity is strongly linked to poor physical and mental health outcomes, leading to higher healthcare costs and shorter life expectancy. By improving access to nutritious food and reducing the stigma around assistance, initiatives like Regina’s hub can improve public health and reduce strain on hospitals and social services.

The Science of Choice and Dignity

Researchers studying poverty and food insecurity have found that giving people autonomy over their food choices has measurable psychological benefits. When individuals can make decisions for themselves, even within limited means, their sense of security and confidence improves. Bailey noted that allowing clients to choose what they need increases their sense of food security by five to ten percent. That small shift in perception can have a profound effect on mental well-being.

Evelyn Cerda, Vice President of Impact and Partnerships at the Regina Food Bank, said that creating a space that feels normal helps reduce the stigma of receiving help. For many parents, being able to shop with their children and fill a basket together provides a sense of dignity that the traditional food hamper could never replicate. It reminds them that they are not defined by their circumstances but by their humanity.

One visitor, a single mother named Sarah Wilson, shared her story of transformation. Years ago, after leaving an abusive relationship and raising five daughters alone, she had just $165 left each month for food. The food bank helped her keep her family fed until she could get back on her feet. Today, she volunteers weekly, helping others through similar challenges. She says she tells clients that she once needed help too, to remind them that no one is alone in their struggle.

A Model with National Potential

The Asahtowikamik Community Food Hub has already attracted national attention. Food banks in other Canadian cities, including Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Toronto, have reached out to learn from Regina’s model. Smaller pilot programs offering limited-choice shopping have existed elsewhere, but none on this scale or with this level of integration between food aid, education, and community building.

The hub’s success depends on continued community support. Unlike some social programs, the Regina Food Bank receives no ongoing government funding for its operations. It relies entirely on donations, volunteers, and partnerships with local producers and corporations. Maintaining stock, running educational programs, and managing facilities require consistent resources and commitment.

Despite the challenges, optimism runs high. The food bank has set ambitious goals for 2025 and beyond, including sourcing at least 20 percent of its food from local producers, increasing its waste diversion rate by 20 percent, and expanding the choice model to reach even more families. The organization also hopes to gain national accreditation for excellence in community service and innovation.

Beyond Charity: Building Resilience

Experts like Queen’s University professor Elaine Power argue that while food banks are critical, they are not a substitute for addressing the root causes of poverty. She believes that policies such as a national basic income program are needed to ensure long-term food security. Still, she acknowledges that local innovations like Regina’s free grocery store play a vital role by showing how compassion and practicality can work hand in hand.

The food hub represents a shift from charity to partnership. It treats people not as passive recipients but as active participants in their own well-being. This approach has ripple effects beyond hunger. When families feel supported, children perform better in school, health outcomes improve, and communities become more cohesive.

At its core, the Asahtowikamik hub is not just about distributing food. It is about nourishing dignity, fostering community, and reimagining what social support can look like in a modern, compassionate society.

A Reflection of Hope

As families shop among the aisles, laughter and conversation fill the space. The act of choosing a head of lettuce or a carton of milk may seem ordinary, but for many, it represents something much greater: the power to decide, to belong, and to hope.

In a world where millions are forced to choose between rent and groceries, a grocery store where everything is free feels almost revolutionary. Yet in Regina, it is simply the new way of caring for one another. The shelves of Asahtowikamik are stocked not only with food but with possibility. They remind us that when people are trusted with choice, they choose dignity, and that choice can change everything.