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Barrie Food Bank boss packing it in after decade at the helm

'I never realized that being the executive director of the Barrie Food Bank would be the highlight of my entire working career and a great way to end a career,' says Peter Sundborg
2021-02-22 IM sundborgA
Barrie Food Bank executive director Peter Sundborg is retiring after nearly 10 years.

After nearly 10 years at the helm of the Barrie Food Bank, executive director Peter Sundborg is setting sail for new waters.

It’s been go, go, go for the smiling and outgoing Sundborg since he took over the reins of the food bank in June 2011.

Since then, and with the help of countless volunteers and donors he can’t seem to stop gushing about, he has helped thousands of people put food on the table.

“I was a little nervous because I didn’t know very much about food banking, but I did know a lot about people,” he says of those early days, when the food bank was still in the old building that shared a parking lot with the former ANAF building, now the Harvest Bible Chapel church.

“So I was really counting on my people skills to get me through the first few weeks,” Sundborg says. “I was excited about my new challenge, but at the time I never realized that being the executive director of the Barrie Food Bank would be the highlight of my entire working career and a great way to end a career.”

Along with staff and volunteers, he spent most of June, July and August in 2011 building out the new  and current  location at 42 Anne St. S.

“At the end of August, we recruited a bunch guys and gals from CFB Borden, regular forces, to come and help move all the files and all the shelving, racking that kind of stuff,” he tells BarrieToday. “And we also recruited a group of people from Leon’s to come and help us move all the furniture from one building to the other.

“Then we opened for our first client on the Tuesday after Labour Day weekend.”

And the shelves have been stocked and restocked over and over ever since, thanks to generosity of Barrie residents, Sundborg adds.

“I’ve often said over the years in different conversations with other food bank people around Ontario and across Canada, if you’re going to be the director of a food bank, Barrie is the best place to do it,” he says proudly. “This is a very giving community. The people of Barrie want to ensure everyone has food on their table.”

Although cash donations are key  especially in these times of COVID  over the years the tons of food that has come in and gone out of the facility is mind-boggling.

“One time we had a four-foot by four-foot by four-foot high box of frozen-solid sliced carrots that would have normally gone to a cruise ship, and another time we had a thousand frozen turkeys that completely filled our freezer to the door,” Sundborg says.

But it’s the volunteers that continue to amaze him.

“They bring me inspiration. They bring me humour. So many are so hard working and they want to make a positive difference in the lives of other people. It’s overwhelming to me," he says.

“Then we come into COVID. Prior to that, we would’ve had about 140 weekly volunteers (a number that grew from about 70 when he first started). They come here and know they can a difference," Sundborg adds. “Now we have a nucleus of about 40 volunteers, many who are here every single day to make sure we can get food out the door to the people who need it.”

Sundborg says the food bank plays a vital role in the community.

“It’s important because we have the opportunity to change people's lives and make them more comfortable,” he says. “I don’t believe anybody should be treated differently because they are experiencing poverty, or that the colour of their skin is different than the colour of my skin.

“Everybody is a person and I believe it’s important to treat everybody with respect, with dignity and, in our case, also provide them with food.”

He gets calls of gratitude from clients saying the food bank genuinely made a difference in their lives.

“You don’t really know you’re making a difference until you get one of those phone calls,” Sundborg says.

But soon the only food he’ll have on his mind is what he’s cooking for dinner.

“I don’t really have anything specific in mind for retirement, but I do own a cabin cruiser so I’m looking forward to spending summer on the boat. Hopefully, once everyone has the vaccine, we can do a little travelling again,” he says. “One of the things I’ve learned through this pandemic is that we need to pay more attention to family and I have family all across Canada.”

Sundborg says his “whole purpose in life” is to serve others.

“And it’s been that way for as long as I can remember,” he says, adding that he knew 10 years ago that the Barrie Food Bank was a “good fit” after 22 years with Scouts Canada.

“I thought this was a great place where I can serve people from every walk of life: people who need food, those donors who want to make donations, I can serve with our volunteers and our staff,” Sundborg says. “I put my heart and soul into that executive director’s job application, but I believe it was more of a calling than it was just getting a job.”

Sundborg officially retires at the end of the month. Sharon Palmer will take over as executive director beginning March 1.