About $26,000 in high-tech surveillance equipment has been donated to the Mustard Seed food bank, which had to close its daily drop-in centre and weekend meal service last month due to safety concerns.
The cameras will be placed at entry points, areas of high traffic flow and public access. The video feed will be remotely accessible by security personnel.
“We saw in the news that because of safety issues, they had to close some programs, so we wanted to see if we could do something,” said Derek Sanderson, owner of Island IT, which donated the equipment, installation and training.
In announcing the closure of the outreach programs Oct. 31, the Mustard Seed cited instances of drug use and violence and said it did not have the resources to monitor the programs. The daily food bank and family centre continue to operate.
Sanderson said he was touched by the organization’s dilemma, as he experienced poverty in his own childhood. “I remember going to places like the Mustard Seed for food,” he said.
Sanderson and his wife, Julie, went to the Queens Avenue centre for a site tour and to speak with staff.
“We looked at places where we could place cameras and decals. These can be a huge deterrence to safety issues, just by setting a policy in place,” said Sanderson, who has also worked on surveillance for Our Place.
Sanderson said the electrical work was being done Friday and the system will likely be up and running by next week.
“This is tremendous support,” said Colin Tessier, executive director of the Mustard Seed. The organization looked at getting a surveillance system after it was recommended in a safety audit a few months ago, but did not have the money. “This will definitely help us with our safety and security concerns.”
Tessier said the surveillance system gives the organization a boost as it continues discussions about how to best relaunch the outreach programs.
The cameras will also help as the high-traffic Christmas season begins.
While no date has been set for when the programs will reopen, Tessier said the Mustard Seed is “actively evaluating and having discussions about what the future will look like.”
