Video: Darrington food bank locked up

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DARRINGTON, Wash. – Hundreds of people who depend on a food bank here are worried how they'll get by now that the building has been condemned and the food locked inside.

Mary Heil and her husband depend on the canned foods, oatmeal and pasta they get from the food bank. So they were shocked Wednesday morning to realize the food bank at the old city hall is closed.

"Nobody was there. There's no notice saying closed or anything," said Mary.

The door to the food bank was actually locked April 22 because the building has been condemned. The building inspector says the building has major structural flaws, water damage, faulty electrical wiring and mold.

"It's rare that you see a building this structurally deteriorated with this magnitude of mold infestation and still occupied," said building official Chris Young.

KING

The old city hall building in Darrington, Wash. is closed and all the food from the local food bank is locked inside because the building has been condemned.

The food bank has been leased for the bargain price of one dollar per year for the last 14 years. City officials say they have offered the food bank other options as a stopgap until they find a more permanent home, but that so far, none of those offers have been taken.

The food bank had been given 10 days to move out after the building was condemned. With almost a dozen freezers full of food, the charity's operator says none of the offers were adequate – either lacking enough space and electricity or because it would mean buying or leasing modular units.

"It's not fair that they're playing some sort of a game and there's just too many people up here that rely on that food," said Mary.

The food bank has just accepted an offer from a local church that would let them use their property for up to six months. However, the charity says that building won't be able to accommodate all their needs until the end of the month.