The Comox Valley Food Bank has received notice from its landlord, Habitat for Humanity, to vacate its space at 13th Street in Courtenay by Aug. 31.
The notice was not unexpected. The food bank has for some time been searching for its seventh location since opening 28 years ago. It operated for 21 years out of a site at Piercy Avenue.
"We've got a couple of ideas happening right now, but I can't really elaborate on them," CVFB president Jeff Hampton said this week. "If I do get the go-ahead I'm going to keep it quiet for a while longer because when we were going into Cousins Avenue area, when the cat was out of the bag that we were going in, all hell broke loose. We'd like to be a little quieter this time."
Last year, the food bank had hoped to move to Cousins Avenue in Tin Town but the site was inadequately zoned. Off-street parking was an issue.
A plea from Habitat explaining the need for both organizations to expand appeared in local newspapers. It garnered two replies.
"It was done on a Habitat slant as opposed to the food bank," Hampton said. "They're trying to do their build on Piercy Avenue and they want more space. They want to expand their ReStore."
Ideally, the food bank needs about 2,000 square feet in a semi-permanent location. The building at 1755B 13th St. is about 1,700 square feet.
Statistics indicate the Comox Valley Food Bank's clientele represents about 18 per cent of the local population.
reporter@comoxvalleyrecord.com