A Monday night arson at the Cambridge Food Bank not only caused approximately $5,000 worth of physical damage, it also impacted a walk-in cooler and put a freezer out of commission that houses roughly $12,000 worth of food.
Staff at the food bank confirmed they're working to save as much of the food as possible from the two units.
"Two people deliberately set fire to the condensers at the back of the Cambridge Food Bank, damaging one of them beyond repair," Jamie Berube, communications coordinator at the Cambridge Food Bank, said.
"The walk-in cooler had $2,000 worth of produce purchased yesterday morning for the Mobile Food Market, and the freezer had more than $10,000 worth of meat. We are trying to save as much of the food as we can."
Waterloo regional police responded to reports of a commercial fire in the area of Ainslie Street South and Bruce Street at approximately 8:30 p.m. last night.
After an investigation, police determined the fire was set intentionally and arrested and charged a 30-year-old Cambridge man with arson.
The building itself remained undamaged, according to food bank executive director Dianne McLeod.
"We have lost the fridge completely and the freezer is still being assessed for damages," Berube said.
"This means we will have limited ability to offer fresh food and meat until the units are repaired."
Berube is hoping the damage will be covered by insurance but is unsure if that will be the case at this time. The walk-in cooler was recently purchased with a Trillium grant.
While staff continue to try and salvage food, they're asking the community to not donate anything that needs to be refrigerated or frozen for the time being.
"The community can refrain from donating any perishables to the Cambridge Food Bank at this time," Berube said.
"Once our units are repaired, if they'd like to help us replenish our fresh foods, they can consider visiting our website to make a financial donation."
To make a financial donation to the Cambridge Food Bank visit canadahelps.org.
