The Bayfield Food Bank is nearing its fundraising goal in order to complete repairs for its new home.
The volunteer-run organization wants to raise $135,000 to cover the cost of upgrades needed to convert its new 2 Jane Street location into a suitable home for the next decade of operations.
The food bank has raised over $100,000 so far, and on Friday, President Claire Trepanier said they were just $30,000 short of that goal.
The food bank met with the Municipality that day to discuss utility rates for the building that will still hold some Bluewater vehicles. The lease agreement for the space should be presented to council at its June 16 meeting.
Trepanier says they're trying to raise the money now, as they're not able to make any changes until the lease is signed, meaning it will be a quick turnaround when they finally do takeover.
"We'll only have a short time frame, because we have to be out of the arena by September 15," she said. "That's why time is of the essence as they say. That's why we're trying to move forward fairly quickly, but our contractor is chomping at the bit, he's ready to go."
She says when it is finished, the building will provide more space and opportunity.
"We're now looking to buy more shelving units to stock more things because we eventually want to go to distributing twice a month, so we'll need more shelving to accommodate that," said Trepanier. "So it's a big space."
Trepanier said they've had some generous donations so far, and donors are able to choose which stream they'd like their contributions to go toward. They just need to indicate in the message portion whether they'd like funds to go toward the building, or the general fund, which helps purchases food.
To learn more, visit their website.