Busy food bank faces possibility of closure

The Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank one of Halifax's busiest food banks is on the verge of shutting down.

Food is running out and Mel Boutilier, executive director of the food bank, says he needs help quickly to keep it running.

Holly Chateloisand Mark Donovan are two of hundreds of people who uses the food bank.

"The shelves are so empty in there, it's unreal. I take what I have to and not another thing more," Chatelois said.

"You wait all that time just to find out you didn't get enough just to get you through a couple of days, so it's tough that way," said Donovan.

The food bank's main supplier has drastically cut back on canned goods, Boutilier said.

Allied Reclamation Services Inc.is a warehouse which holds and distributesdamaged goods from Sobeys grocery stores to food banks.

About 300 people rely on the food bank each week, Boutilier said.

'Broken-hearted'

"I feel so broken-hearted I guess. I have to say when I realized here Friday that the shelves were empty, I had to do something," he said.

Boutilier said he purchased food so there would be supplies available Monday.

"It would break anybody's heart to be here and tell them you can't supply food for them and their families."

A miscommunication in 2010 stopped supplies and almost shut down the food bank. Since then, supplies have dwindled from truckloads a week, to just a few pallets.

Boutilier said he hopes to arrange a meeting with Sobeys management.

The Parker Street food bank is independent of Feed Nova Scotia, where Allied Reclamation also sends supplies.

"They're a front-line organization. We're a provincial organization that's distributing to 150 some front-line organizations," said Dianne Swinemar, executive director of Feed Nova Scotia.

"So they certainly would be allotted a percentage from that warehouse, what that would be I would have no idea, but it wouldn't be streamed to us instead."

The number of Feed Nova Scotia clients is climbing, Swinemar said.

"Ten per cent in Cape Breton and 20-plus per cent on the South Shore," she said.

"He [Boutilier] needs help. He helps so many people here so good, but the shelves are bare," said Holly Chatelois.

"Usually somebody comes to the rescue so I'm hoping that's gonna be the case," said Mark Donovan.

Calls to Sobeys and Allied Reclamation by CBC News were not returned.

"I've been saying to myself, 'Do I have to close? Has it come to that?' Unless we find a supplier immediately we'll be in that place. It'll be real," Boutilier said.

Hesaid he has faith he'll find the help he needs in time.