From Shed to Shelter: Dover's Food Pantry Story

Sometimes, meaningful change begins in the most unassuming of places. In Dover, it started with a small storage shed. Today, that shed has become a welcoming pantry, offering dignity, choice, and immediate help to residents facing food emergencies.

Patch neighbourhood hubs is a program administered by Hull Services and operates in a few Calgary Housing residences. The organization has partnered with Calgary Housing for over 20 years and provides basic needs, employment, and financial wellness support. 

In 2024, at the Dover location, Patch supported residents with basic needs related to food security 403 times and made 90 referrals to the Calgary Food Bank. By 2025, those stats increased to 796 requests for emergency food and 122 referrals to the food bank.

In the summer of 2024, Calgary Housing and Patch met to devise a plan on how they could address the growing need for emergency food in the community. 

“How can we get food to people that are struggling with food security in a dignified way? So that they don’t have to ask and that they can pick up what they like?” says Kim Howard, West Dover Team Leader at Patch.

There was an under-utilized shed on Calgary Housing property close to the community space run by Patch. The idea of converting that space into a food pantry was born.

“It was something exciting and I could see it working in this community,” says Pat Dube, Housing Support Specialist at Calgary Housing.

“[Dube and Patch] reached out to me and my team to get some advice on how to repurpose the shed to be a pantry,” says Ryan Vandenbrink, Leader of Building Maintenance and Operations at Calgary Housing.

Dube also reached out to a Calgary Housing resident in Dover, Sherry Nolan, who runs a local nonprofit Last Chance Produce, to see if she would support the pantry.

Nolan was immediately on board. Her organization rescues food and accepts food donations across the city, and also does networking and outreach.

The vision was to repurpose the shed to have a cold side, with a fridge and freezer, and a dry side, with pantry items. That way people could get a complete meal to prepare for their families in an emergency. The pantry would also be self-serve and fully stocked, so families don’t have to tell anyone what they are missing. They can just come and get what they need.

There are other food resources available to people experiencing food insecurity, but the Calgary Food Bank has long wait times, especially since the pandemic. The wait period is now from two to three weeks. Patch also provides emergency food, but it’s only a day’s worth and it’s only what they have available at the moment.

“I know what it’s like to not have. I was raised by a single parent. Then I was a single mom with two kids and I went through the same thing. Not having is a big worry."

Sherry Nolan

“This way, something is available right when you’re actually having the emergency because sometimes these things happen and you don’t have time to think two or three weeks ahead,” says Howard.

After consulting with Patch about the needs in the community and reviewing the site, Vandenbrink and the team at Calgary Housing came up with a plan to convert the shed to a working pantry. They insulated and heated the space, as well as installed motion-controlled lighting. They framed the space and built shelving and brought in contractors to install access control.

It was quick work. The entire project was completed in just four weeks. The Maintenance team worked quickly to get the work done before year end to take advantage of a funding opportunity.

“The vendors were excited to get involved as well. They jumped in right away, and said yeah, we can make it happen,” Vandenbrink explains.

Within an hour of the pantry opening, families were stopping by to collect food. Nolan had already stocked the shelves. Last Chance Produce will continue to support the pantry with rescued food going forward.

“I know what it’s like to not have. I was raised by a single parent. Then I was a single mom with two kids and I went through the same thing. Not having is a big worry,” Nolan says.

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