Food bank moving to town office

(3/23) Thurmont Commissioner Wes Hamrick briefed the board at their March 18 meeting regarding the use of the existing town office for the future location of the community food bank.

Hamrick stated, “Once we vacate the old town office location, the food bank is going to be taking over this part of the building, meaning…the meeting room and the administrative offices, which is basically everything in the front.”

The food bank is currently located at St. John's Church at 15 West Church Street.

“For the folks who do not realize, the commissioner said, “Saint John’s is crammed, and they’ve been asking that the food bank find a permanent home. This (vacating of the front of the existing town office) has been a perfect…opportunity (for the food bank).”

“They are planning on using the meet room as a waiting area, and the office are as a prep area where they will have countless refrigerators, freezers and shelving,” he stated.

Working out the details on the relocation for the food bank, he said, is a “work in progress. Once we vacate this location, hopefully in July or August, the food bank will follow right behind us.”

Hamrick said that the town is still going to have operations in the back of the existing office, “(but) there will be a clear delineation between us and the food bank.”

“They will work out amongst themselves as to when they want to operate, what days, what times,” the commissioner stated. “They will be an autonomous group and not part of the town. So all we are doing is facilitating a facility for them.”

There’s some physical changes that are going to be occurring (to the current town office), but nothing major. I don’t think it’s going to really be a great, great effort on anyone’s part” the commission stated. “I think the hardest part is going to be getting all the material moved from Saint John’s down here, and getting those freezers in here.”

The food bank will be renting the space they are to occupy from the town, and there will be a memorandum of agreement established between the food bank and the town regarding the use of the town property, Hamrick said.

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