With June 30 deadline looming, Digby food bank still without new home

A food bank in Digby that supports hundreds of families in need is under pressure to find a new home.

Volunteers at the food bank on Water Street say the organization has only one week left to secure new space to run its operations.

At a meeting Friday, food bank president Roger Tibbetts told volunteers he has been working since January to find a new location, and he is still working on it.

'Very worried'

Volunteer Greta Wilson says she is anxious about the looming deadline.

"Very worried, because we have all this food too, that if we can't find a permanent home for us, then we have all these supplies," she said.

For five years, the food bank has been located in an old insurance company office. The organization has not had to pay rent there, only utilities.

Now the building is up for sale and so the organization needs to leave by the end of June.

'They need a food bank in Digby'

Wilson says while the food bank is grateful for the years of support from the building's owners, everyone is concerned about what the future holds for people who depend on its services. The food bank currently serves 332 families, 32 of whom have registered in the last six months.

"It is sad. It hurts all of us. All the volunteers are all concerned at this point, what will happen and what will they do?" she said.

Anne Marie MacDonald also volunteers at the food bank and says she is saddened to see families with children in need.

"You see the little ones in there ... half of them, I don't think they had breakfast before they came there," she said. "You know, those kids. They need a food bank in Digby, no matter what."