The executive director of the Community Food Sharing Association says the province';s food banks are in for “long-term grief” following a fire at its warehouse in Mount Pearl on Wednesday.
“We supply all the food banks in the St. John’s and Conception Bay area, and we also send food to food banks across the province when they request it, so if a food bank called in today looking for food, we’d just have to say, ‘Sorry, we don’t have any and we don’t know when we’re going to get any’,” Eg Walters told The Telegram.
While the St. John’s Regional Fire Department was able to make short work of a blaze at the province’s largest food bank, the facility suffered extensive damage.
“As it stands now, the early indications are that all our inventory is ruined,” said Walters.
“I was talking to the insurance company about a half an hour ago, and they’re going to get an adjuster out right away. So, we’ll see what our options are and where we go from there.”
Windows on the lower floor were broken while firefighters worked and power to the building has been shut off. The building’s upstairs tenants were also evacuated.
Three employees inside when the fire broke out were able to escape without injury.
Telegram photographer Joe Gibbons got a look inside the warehouse and says there is extensive damage to the main door and office area and that that remainder of the spare appeared to have suffered extensive fire, smoke, and water damage.
Walters says it’s too early to say how the association will continue its work.
“The thing about it is we’re running a warehouse situation where we’re talking about tractor-trailer loads of food coming and going, and heavy equipment operating, and it’s not like someone saying, ‘Well, you can operate out of a church basement’. We really need an employable, commercial space to recover from.”
MP Seamus O’Regan, whose office is further down Topsail Road in St. John’s, was quick to offer his office as a collection and storage point until a new space could be secured.
This morning's fire at the Community Food Sharing Association is devastating news. In response, my office at 689 Topsail Road will be collecting and storing non-perishable food items until a new space can be found.
— Seamus O'Regan (@SeamusORegan) January 30, 2019
If you can, please swing by and donate, and RT/share. pic.twitter.com/hSbMVvZQa9
Every $10 donated translates to $430 in food distributed by the Community Food Sharing Association.
