Dayton Food Bank needs new home

DAYTON - The need for a permanent home for Dayton Food Bank has grown more pressing as demand for its services grows.

Currently, the food bank is housed in the community center. The 1918 building is undergoing renovation and restoration.

"Technically, the building is closed to large groups of people, because it has been determined to be structurally deficient," said Dick Fabor, Lyon County engineer. "We've allowed staff to stay in the building, as we figured in the event of a catastrophic seismic event, for instance, those people could safely evacuate."

But with the addition of Freida Carbery as food bank director, and the organization's rapid growth in people being helped and services provided, the need for a new location is glaring.

"We just didn't expect such an increase in services," Fabor said.

In an effort to waylay those fears, Thursday's food distribution and H1N1 flu clinic took place under tents outside the center.

But the food bank needs to find someone willing to donate or lease space at an affordable rate.

"We have a variety of people looking for a new location and anyone willing to donate the space, or if a business owner would step up and let the food bank utilize a building, that would be very helpful," Fabor said.

Retrofitting set to begin in March has made the deadline for finding a home for the food bank more urgent.

"At first, we'll be tying the roof and floors to the walls and filling in some windows," said Fabor, who has also overseen the restoration and retrofitting of other historic buildings in Northern Nevada. "That will be a

90-day contract."

In March, the county also will request additional funds which, if granted, will allow for more work to be done on the building, a phase that would begin about a year from now, Fabor said.

Ultimately, the community center will be used as a cultural center with art displays and performances, as well as a meeting place. The buildings' wings could be used as instructional space once restoration is complete.

"I love preserving these old buildings and making them useful again," Fabor said. "But in the meantime, we need to find another place."

In spite of the current challenges, Healthy Communities Executive Director Christy McGill sees good things ahead.

"The county does have its priorities in order and understands what the community's needs are and has supported that by allowing us to continue working out of this space," she said.

"The way things are designed now, this is a community organization with accountability to the community. We all have a vested interest in the well-being of our neighbor. It's such a beautiful thing."