Better services are set to rise from the ashes of a fire that shuttered a Victoria food bank in late March.
The Mustard Seed Street Church and Food Bank returns to normal food bank operations May 3 after a fire at the building forced its closure.
“Our team has been amazingly resilient – providing services from the parking lot this last month, while our contractors remediated the building to make it safe for us to store and distribute food again,” director of operations Treska Watson said.
RELATED: Victoria church and food bank to provide limited community services following fire
A March 27 tent fire outside spread to the Queens Avenue building, leaving a heavily damaged hospitality centre and chapel area, executive director Rev. Stephen Bell said in a news release.
“We are taking this unfortunate incident and the ensuing disruption as an opportunity to adjust a few walls that are being replaced – allowing us to, among other things, install showers and laundry equipment. The installation of these facilities will provide dignity and help individuals recover and reconnect with friends and family,” Bell said.
In the meantime, the hospitality team returns to providing hot drinks and meals six days a week. The organization provides food support and other resources for about 45,000 people each month and boasts largest food bank on Vancouver Island.
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“We are so grateful to the generosity of people in the Greater Victoria region and the support we are receiving to help us to build back better and provide food for families and the basic human need of cleanliness,” Bell said.
While restocking with food, hygiene products and warm clothing for families is a monumental challenge, at this point they still don’t have full access to the building and cannot accept in-person donations.
Bell suggests anyone who wants to help donate at mustardseed.ca.
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