The Harrison County Food Pantry will have to look for a new location for its program to distribute food to needy families.
The Harrison County Council on Aging recently gave notice to the food pantry that its lease on space in the basement of the Bethany Multi-purpose Center won’t be renewed after it expires on July 31.
Richard Wilson, chairman of the Council on Aging, said his organization has been looking for a new location for the senior citizen center, located in the former Hub Restaurant building.
“We were trying to get the skating rink, but that deal fell through,” Wilson said.
The original plan was to purchase the former roller skating rink on 39th Street to provide space for senior citizen programs and the food pantry. Wilson said the senior citizens are still looking for another site but felt that “it’s not fair for the food pantry” to have its lease renewed with the building plans still up in the air.
Robert Skeens, president of the food pantry board, said the Council on Aging’s decision “leaves us looking for a new place.”
Skeens said he was aware that the senior center was looking for a new location for its diverse programs.
“They were inviting us to come along at first, but it was later decided that we should go our separate ways,” Skeens said.
The food pantry has had problems at his current location. The deteriorating parking lot makes it difficult to push food carts and to take deliveries from Second Harvest.
Skeen said the food pantry now is looking for a new location for its services. They would like to have a location with good access and a large parking area.
The food pantry serves 470 residents in the county.
“There is a lot of need out there of people living on the poverty level,” he said.
The food pantry originally paid the senior center $100 a month to lease the space in the basement of the multipurpose center but that was raised to $300 a month.
Wilson said the present multi-purpose building has structural and electrical problems that need to be addressed.
“The building is in real bad shape,” he said. “It needs some major electrical work, and the north wall of the building is caving in.”