Couple stepping down as Montague food bank co-ordinators

The Southern Kings and Queens food bank in Montague is looking for someone to take over the operation.

Frank and Vivian Dourte have been running the food bank for the past 2½ years as volunteers.

Frank Dourte said with his health and Vivian's other jobs, it's time for them to step down. But they will stay on until the board can replace them.

"We just want somebody who's going to be respectful and kind and charitable," he said. "Those are the qualities that we're looking for."

Coronavirus precautions

Dourte said food bank officials have begun taking precautions against coronavirus. There have been no cases of coronavirus on P.E.I., but last week Dourte stood at the door of the food bank and told clients they had to use hand sanitizer before they could get their food.

Dourte said he used WHO guidelines to ensure there was a good supply of hand sanitizer and bleach. 

Any change in the method of distribution of food, will be posted on the food bank's Facebook page, he said.

"If the virus is here we may do our food distribution differently. You know this is a place where 250 families gather every month and that's a lot of contact.

"So we're thinking maybe they would drive and we would put a box in their trunk just to minimize the human to human contact. I want to protect our staff from the virus and I want to protect our clients, too."

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