City of Kingston’s Fines for Food pilot grows fresh produce for local food bank

The City of Kingston is expanding its Fines for Food pilot program by investing a portion of program funding into a modular vertical farm that grows fresh leafy greens year-round for Partners in Mission (Kingston) Food Bank's grocery store.

Initially, funding through the Fines for Food program was distributed to local food organizations to help purchase food. Through this pilot expansion, a portion of those funds is now being directed toward local food production, creating a new source of fresh produce for community food programs while strengthening Kingston's food system.

In 2023, KFL&A Public Health reported approximately one in three households in the KFL&A region with food insecurity, meaning they could not afford or buy the food they wanted or needed for good health. After this local data showed a sharp increase in food insecurity, Kingston City Council declared food insecurity an emergency in January 2025.

Since then, Partners in Mission (Kingston) Food Bank has continued to see growing demand for support, recording a 25 per cent increase in food bank usage in 2026. The demographics are also changing: 19.6 per cent of food bank clients are employed, up from seven per cent in 2019.

As part of its Food Framework and Strategic Plan, the City of Kingston sought solutions that could provide immediate relief while also building long-term food system resilience. Food production was identified as a key pillar, leading the City to partner with Growcer Fund through a farm-as-a-service model. Through the pilot, $80,000 in annual parking fine revenue is supporting the operation of a 40-foot vertical farm that produces fresh leafy greens year-round for local food programs.

Fresh, perishable food is the hardest for community organizations to source consistently. Located at Modern Niagara's facility at 945 Princess Street, the vertical farm occupies roughly the space of two parking spots and grows nutritious leafy greens such as spinach, romaine lettuce, and pac choi year-round. By growing them locally, the City of Kingston gives local food organizations access to the most in-demand produce year-round, without the spoilage, cost fluctuation, or supply chain guesswork.

“Food insecurity is one of the most urgent challenges facing our community, and it requires both immediate support and longer-term system change,” says Mayor Bryan Paterson. “Through the City’s Food Framework and the Fines for Food pilot, we are using an innovative, partnership-based approach to help local organizations provide fresh, nutritious food while strengthening Kingston’s local food system. This does not replace the need to address the root causes of food insecurity or income-based solutions, but it is a practical way the City can help residents now and build resilience for the future.”

The Partners in Mission (Kingston) Food Bank runs a 4,000-square-foot grocery store model for its clients, stocking items like milk, cheese, meat, and now, fresh greens grown right in town. Over the past eight months, even throughout the winter, the vertical farm has grown 3,900 pounds of fresh produce for the food bank.

“Everyone loves it. I come from a small farm, when you have food this fresh, I was never worried about people not loving it,” says Dan Irwin, executive director of Partners in Mission ( Kingston) Food Bank. “What you pictured as a food bank in 1984 is not correct today. People think we’re just donated food, damaged cans, with nothing fresh, but we’re working to get the top quality produce available for all of our clients and we now run more like a grocery store.”

The local food initiative is supported by a combination of the Fines for Food funding and RBC’s support. A portion of a $1.5 million donation by RBC to the Food Resiliency Foundation Fund, a Growcer donor-advised fund at Ottawa Community Foundation, supports Partners in Mission (Kingston) Food Bank’s operation of the farm allowing them to meet the client demand for fresh food.

“As part of our commitment to helping our clients thrive and communities prosper, we’ve identified food security as a critical need”, says Devinder Gill, RBC’s Regional President for Ontario North and East. “RBC’s global commitment of $10 million supports food-focused organizations that grow, store and provide healthy food to people in our communities at a time they need it most. We are thrilled to help make this possible in Kingston with Growcer and Partners in Mission (Kingston) Food Bank.”

“We’ve heard from our team that the greens get delivered on Tuesday and they’re gone by Friday. That shows there’s a demand for fresh produce and this model allows the city and the food bank to serve fresh produce without the spoilage, cost, or supply chain guesswork that typically comes with imported or donated greens. It’s a model we hope to see other food banks consider for their own communities,” says Corey Ellis, CEO and co-founder of Growcer.

The misconception that going to a food bank is “just getting a food hamper” can hinder those in need of support. “We introduced our shopping model a little over a year ago so our clients can choose what they want, including fresh produce. I hope it reduces stigma for the people who did not want to come or thought they’d just be getting a food hamper,” Irwin says. “Volunteers tell me all the time that they love how fresh the greens are and how fresh they smell, and they’ve heard our clients say how they love the produce and how expensive it is to purchase at the regular grocery store. Clients also appreciate the added variety the greens add to our selection.”

The City will continue to monitor the pilot’s impact, including produce grown, households served, distribution partners, operating learnings, and opportunities to strengthen Kingston’s local food system.

About Partners in Mission (Kingston) Food Bank

Partners in Mission (Kingston) Food Bank has been helping our Kingston neighbours in need since 1984. We do not receive government or agency funding, and we rely solely on our community for food and financial support. In 2025, 1 in 17 people in the Kingston and Loyalist Township area received food from our organization. Partners in Mission (Kingston) Food Bank is a proud member of Feed Ontario and is a Standard of Excellence accredited food bank by Food Banks Canada.

About Growcer

Growcer enables communities to become more food resilient through its modular food infrastructure, like vertical farms or food storage hubs. Growcer is now the leading partner empowering local food ecosystems worldwide with a network spanning 30 countries and 1000+ farms deployed. Operators include schools, non-profits, as well as rural and Indigenous communities. Learn more about Growcer at growcer.ca.

About RBC

Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. RBC are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at rbc.com/peopleandplanet.

About Modern Niagara

Modern Niagara is one of Canada's largest specialty contractors, delivering mechanical and electrical solutions across the country. We work with owners, developers, and general contractors to deliver projects of every size, from renovations and upgrades to complex new construction and critical infrastructure projects.

For information, please contact:

City of Kingston Communications & Public Engagement

communications@cityofkingston.ca | 613-546-4291 ext. 2300

Dan Irwin, executive director, Kingston Food Bank

director@kingstonfoodbank.ca | 613-544-8230 ext.102

Stephanie Gordon, senior content manager, Growcer

stephanie@growcer.com | 647-861-7723

Christina Tweed, senior marketing manager, RBC

christina.tweed@rbc.com | 437-848-7284

Jessica Dagg, director of brand and communications, Modern Niagara Group

jdagg@modernniagara.com | 613-558-8922