The Community Mobile 'R' Store has operated in Regina North Central since June 2005.
Now called the 'R' Healthy Food Store, it has reduced its hours and will be open on Mondays from 11:00 - 1:00! It brings fresh, nutritious and affordable food to our community in the form of fresh produce, frozen vegetables, meat, eggs, dairy products, pasta, canned goods, along with bread and other baked goods - all at low prices!
The store is seen by many as a step in the right direction toward filling the need for a full-scale grocery store in Regina North Central. The mobile store is a partnership initiative of Regina Education and Action on Child Hunger (REACH), the City of Regina, the United Way, and North Central Community Association.
In addition to already low prices, this store also accepts emergency food vouchers from social services and milk vouchers from the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region. They also have a discount card for families on social assistance which gives an additional 15 per cent off milk. People can pay for their groceries through debit as well as cash.
The 'R' Healthy Food Store is part of the Regina Food Security Project which uses the 'food security' approach that promotes access to a high quality and stable food supply in a manner that does not stigmatize the consumer and does not infringe on the consumer's independence. Other Regina Food Security Initiatives provide seniors, shut-ins, healthcare patients, SAP recipients, young families, and others, with easy access to safe, nutritious and affordable food. Those initiatives operate in collaboration with the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region and are administered by REACH.
If you would like more information concerning the 'R' Healthy Food Store please call 347-3224 - and don't forget to stop by the store on the the second floor of Albert-Scott Community Centre
Mondays 11:00 am to 1:00 pm (closed on holidays)
REACH encourages groups serving North Central families on government assistance to make the program known to their clients/contacts and assist in the application process, if and where required.
Purpose
The REACH Milk Discount Card is a pilot program. It is a subsidy intended to assist families receiving government assistance to provide more milk to their young children. It is also intended to help families on the road to independence by mitigating their use of charitable, emergency food providers.
Rationale
Families on government assistance sometimes make less-than-positive food choices because of the affordability and/or accessibility of certain nutrient-rich foods such as milk, fruit and vegetables, whole grains, etc. A milk subsidy in North Central Regina is one way to make milk more affordable and accessible for families with young children who would benefit from the nutrient-rich food source.
Because REACH does not currently have the resources to provide a milk subsidy to every single low-income Regina family with young children, we have targeted a specific demographic who would benefit most from the subsidy and who would have a better likelihood of using the sole food outlet where the discount card will be honoured, the 'R' Healthy Food Store located in North Central Regina. The targeted demographic will be families who: (1) are receiving government assistance, (2) have children in their care six years of age or younger, (3) are living in North Central Regina. If the pilot is successful in its purpose, it may expand to include a wider demographic.
The pricing that REACH Milk Discount Card holders will be receiving will be below REACH's wholesale cost. Because this program is a funded subsidy provided by REACH, a few rules of use will apply to ensure that we are spending our limited agency resources effectively in assisting families with young children on the road to independence.
Process
- Applications will be made available to human service agencies, schools and government departments who request them. Applications may also be found on the REACH web site (in the near future) at www.reachinregina.ca and at the 'R' Healthy Food Store.
- An application will be filled out and signed by the person who is applying to be the authorized card holder. Within the application, the applicant will declare that they are receiving payments from Saskatchewan Assistance Program (SAP), Provincial Training Allowance (PTA), or Training Education Allowance (TEA), that they have children six years of age or younger in their care, and that they are a resident of North Central Regina. "Rules of use" will apply and are found within the application and on the issued card. They will also agree that REACH may contact Social Services personnel to confirm their declaration.
- The application will be received by REACH and the declaration information will be verified with Social Services.
- Once the declaration is verified, REACH will issue a discount card to the applicant which may be picked up at the 'R' Healthy Food Store.
- The Authorized Card Holder will receive a 15% discount off the already low-priced milk purchased at the 'R' Healthy Food Store. They will be required to show their REACH Milk Discount Card and a drivers license, or some other form of identification, when making a purchase.
If you have any questions, or would like additional information, please contact us.
REACH
Box 4482, Regina, SK S4P 3W7
Phone: 347-3224
Fax: 347-0943