The Mustard Seed Street Church and Food Bank in Victoria is expected to resume normal food bank operations on May 3 after a fire in late March forced it to close its doors.
The early morning fire on March 27 caused extensive smoke damage and forced the food bank to temporarily close its doors and throw out contaminated food.
Although the fire at the entrance to the Queens Avenue building was relatively small, it caused heavy damage to the hospitality centre and chapel area. The Victoria Fire Department has not yet released the cause of the fire.
On Wednesday, the Mustard Seed said it had been given the all-clear to move back into a portion of the building.
“We are so excited to bring our staff back inside,” said Treska Watson, director of operations. “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.”
The Mustard Seed is taking the opportunity to install two fully accessible showers and commercial laundry facilities for its clients.
“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,” said Rev. Stephen Bell, executive director. “The installation of these facilities will provide dignity and help individuals recover and reconnect with friends and family.”
Hot drinks and meals six days a week will be provided while the reconstruction takes place, Bell said.
For the time being, the organization is not accepting food or clothing donations at Queens Avenue because the church doesn’t have full access to its building.
However, restocking the shelves with food, hygiene products, warm clothing for families and running shoes for children and youth is a “monumental challenge,” Bell said. He suggested the best way to help is through monetary donations at mustardseed.ca.
“We are so grateful to the generosity of people in the Greater Victoria region and the support we are receiving to help us build back better and provide food for families and the basic human need of cleanliness,” he said.
The Mustard Seed serves about 300 hot meals a day and hands out about 1,000 food hampers a month.
Bell estimates there are 75,000 “food insecure” people in Greater Victoria.
Food-bank use has increased as the price of food rose to record levels, delivering whole new user groups to the food bank, such as college students and middle-class families whose pay cheques aren’t keeping pace.
In a news release, the organization thanked local churches for donating lunches, and the Forge Church in Sooke and Centennial United Church in Victoria for providing space for Sunday services.
