Every day, inside Premium Transportation's location in Centralia, ON, where Huron County Food Bank Distribution Centre (HCFBDC) operates, volunteers sort thousands of pounds of nutritious food so it can be delivered to the local communities of Huron County, as well as the surrounding areas.  

Starting in the backyard of its founder Mary Ellen in 2008, HCFBDC has now become a regional network moving food across rural Southwestern Ontario, feeding tens of thousands of people every month. The organization serves 13 food banks and runs six mobile food banks out of its truck in smaller communities. Its mission is straightforward, but ambitious: to make hunger non-existent.    

“This is a community where everybody seems to know everybody. It’s a tight knit group of people,” said Chris Allan, the organization’s executive director.

A diverse selection of foods comes through the centre. HCFBDC works closely with Second Harvest, local grocery stores and growers to bring in items that vary every day, from produce and meat to dairy and dry goods.  

“We’re very fortunate where we’re located,” said Chris. “When we get a truckload of food, Premium Transportation is able to get that on a backhaul. We can then offload it, and we have our space where we’re able to put it in our fridge, freezer or on our floor space. It’s literally just pick it up, drop it off, and get it out to the community.”

HCFBDC’s partnership with Second Harvest started in 2019 when it signed up for the Second Harvest Food Rescue App. As the organization expanded, Chris saw an opportunity for a better coordinated redistribution effort. He met with our team, and now, the organization receives weekly scheduled food pick-ups. In 2026 alone, Second Harvest rescued and redistributed over 1.13 million pounds of surplus food to HCFBDC.  

For the communities the centre serves, that translates into substantially more food, as much as 8,000 pounds a week.

HCFBDC’s work has never been more critical. Demand for the organization's support has increased steadily over the previous 12 months by about 30 per cent on average, according to Chris.  

“Every day, it grows more,” he added.

The partnership with Second Harvest has allowed HCFBDC to support the growing needs of the community, ensuring that more people are able to get access to regular nutritious meals, whether it’s a working family with two incomes, seniors or students, as persistent rising cost of living puts pressure on household budgets.

“This partnership has flourished and because of what we're doing through Second Harvest, we're able to feed more people,” Chris said.  

The impact can sometimes be measured in small but meaningful moments.

“There was a student at one of the schools who came to talk to me and say thank you and handed me a piece of paper; it was an invitation to their Christmas dinner,” said Chris.

“Food doesn’t belong in a landfill. Food doesn’t belong in garbage,” he concluded. “We want to get more and more food out to people because more and more people need that food. If we can impact one person’s life today that’s impactful.”