Windsor food bank closes doors for clean up

By Nadine Armstrong

The Hants Journal

NovaNewsNow.com



Windsor’s only food bank, Matthew 25, has been shut down temporarily in an effort to clean up its act.

For the past seven years, the food bank has fought a loosing battle against clutter, garbage and vermin, and chair Cindy Loane says the time has come for a clean sweep.

“The problem is this place was never finished,” Loane noted. “It’s just a warehouse, and there was a lot to be done before we even moved in.” Painting and general maintenance was nearly impossible with the every square foot packed with items of clothing, toys, books and general material – even junk. The only way to do a proper job, Loane said, was to shut their doors until the job is finished.

Feed Nova Scotia director Dianne Swinemar said that organization fully supports the food bank’s efforts. She said some of the issues came to light during a food-safety pilot project last summer. “They realized there were some concerns, but the pilot really flagged it for them even more.” One of the food-safety issues was the proximity of used clothing items to stored food.

Matthew 25, like all other food banks in Nova Scotia, is a member of FNS, “There are certain expectations our organization has,” Swinemar said, “and they wanted to deal with the situation appropriately. The food bank board worked with FNS so that they could be brought up to those standards.

“And there are thing that just couldn’t be dealt with without shutting the doors,” she said.

Wrong types of donations

Loane said the clutter issue comes down to an over-abundance of certain types of donations, and not always welcome ones. “People will just come here and drop off garbage and expect us to get rid of it for them. It’s really illegal dumping.” She said as much as the food bank welcomes items of use for children and adults, some donations don’t fit that equation. “We received an entire bin full of old car parts,” she said. “What are we supposed to do with that? I’m just not going to keep cleaning their garbage up anymore.”

Loane said people often ask the food bank to pick up old appliances, only to get the items back to the bank and find they are broken. “We just do not have the means to fix appliances, and so we get stuck with them.”

The same goes for bags of clothes that are soiled or mixed with household waste. “Don’t expect me to insult someone in need by giving them garbage.”

Even with careful screening, Loane acknowledged, seven years of donations accumulate, and removing truckloads of unwanted items will cost the food bank a pretty penny. “It does cost to get rid of things,” she said.

The rodent problem did not take long to address. Although garbage dumped outside the door has been a contributing factor, Loane said the structure of the building itself was mostly at fault. The exterminator who was called in to access the situation pointed out a number of holes in the exterior walls giving access to rats and mice.

Work going well

Because there is a ban on pesticide use at food banks, Loane said they have installed metal sheeting along the baseboards in an effort to keep creatures out.

The volunteer and board members have worked diligently over the past few weeks to finish the bathroom, paint floors and walls and generally restructure the storage system.

“We’ve purchased bins so that we can organize items such as emergency blankets for fire victims,” Loane said. The colors chosen for the walls are a bit colourful since mis-tinted paint was the most affordable option. However, Loane hopes the bright pink, purple and red will give the cavernous space an added touch. “It turned out well, really, since we have no windows it will brighten things up.”

In the meantime, Loane emphasized that clients will continue to receive service. Those in need can contact the food bank, which has an account with Sobeys, and receive items at that store. “It’s hard for some though, because they don’t want to be known.”

She said requests for food packages are down right now because some people choose to wait until the food bank re-opens. Breads are being rerouted to Harvest House and can be picked up there.

Matthew 25 will not be receiving new donations until the work has been completed sometime toward the end of this month.