INSIDE

Food bank looking for storage space in underused fire hall

By Meg Olson

Members of the Point Roberts food bank are hoping the fire district will let them use space in the old Julius Station on Gulf Road to base their operations.

“Right now it’s back and forth, back and forth,” Henry Rosenthal told fire commissioners at their February 8 meeting. Food collected by the food bank is spread between a donated container at a home next to the MP gas station on Gulf Road, a small square of donated space in the International Marketplace freezers, and the home freezers of Rosenthal and Ernie Loreen, another food bank volunteer. When volunteers distribute food at the community center on Wednesdays they need to collect it from separate locations first. “We need some help. We are all volunteers,” Rosenthal said. “We need about 600 square feet and a little bit of freezer space and electricity.”

The food bank has used the space in the past but when they asked to use the space seven or eight years ago Rosenthal said they were turned down. “I have had a concern when it was there previously that cleanliness wasn’t maintained,” said chief Bill Skinner. He added the district could not legally pay the electrical bills of a non-profit agency.

“We would keep the place as clean as possible subject to your inspection,” Rosenthal promised. “We would happily pay for electricity.”

The food bank, Rosenthal said, is serving 30 local families who are at or below the poverty level established by the federal government, supported by donations and funds raised through events like the annual Reef Tavern chili cook-off. “We help as much as we can,” he said. “It includes a number of folks who are the working poor, who make just enough to get by but not for anything extra.” As an example he pointed to a local family with no medical insurance who suddenly faced the added expenses of a life-threatening illness. “The food bank helped,” he said.

With a toy program at Christmas and a clothing bank Rosenthal said the food bank helped fill gaps in locally available services. “Because we are so isolated there are very few government activities and that makes it very difficult,” he said.

Commissioners indicated a willingness to let the food bank use the space. “We can certainly entertain the request but ultimately it is an operational issue,” said commissioner David Gellatly. “One of the problems for us as we move forward with planning is room. We don’t want to have to come knocking later.”

Skinner said the fire department would evaluate their use of the building, along with a storage request from the Wellness Clinic, and come back to the board with a recommendation at their March meeting.