A pile of wood is all that remains of a Colwood project to share surplus food within the community.
Located outside the home of Lety Alvarez on Metchosin Road, a makeshift shelving unit has been the drop-off point for donated food supplies.
But now the project lies in ruin.
“It [was] a very sad and disheartening surprise,” said Alvarez, who has been the driving force behind the project for eight months.
The only clue to how the shelving unit was destroyed is a single tire track, imprinted in the the grass.
Alvarez has assumed a vehicle drove into or backed into the stand, but has chosen to believe it was accident rather than deliberate.
“I don’t plan to involve the police,” she said. “We want to believe it was an accident and hope it doesn’t happen again.”
Despite the setback, Alvarez is determined the project will continue, especially as she has seen demand for the service grow in recent months.
Boxes of fruit, vegetables and bread have been saved from landfill and distributed among the Colwood community thanks to the kindhearted efforts of Alvarez.
“The response has been incredible,” says Alvarez, who took over the project eight months ago from a neighbour when they moved from the area – her way to give back to the community that helped her family when they moved to Colwood.
And it looks like Alvarez won't have to go it alone.
When she shared news of the incident online, Alvarez was greeted with a wave of sympathy and offers of help to rebuild the shelving unit.
"Who knows how or why this happened, but let’s pull together as a community and fix it," said one comment on Alvarez's Facebook post.
Closer to home, Alvarez’s husband is also planning to put his DIY skills to the test.
“Many others are offering to help with repairs, donating materials or even building it themselves,” she said. “We are very grateful to everyone."
