Compassionate cupboard: Local man helps revitalize North Sydney's downtown community food cabinet

A community food cabinet in downtown North Sydney, N.S., recently received some much-needed TLC.

“It’s been a wreck for a little while. I know a lot of different community members have tried to fix it a few different times,” said Stacy Ellis, North Sydney Food Bank manager. “We weren’t sure it was going to make it through last winter but it did with the help of a few community folks.”

Ellis says she knew the food cabinet, which sits on Commercial Street, wouldn’t make it through another winter season with it often falling apart due to Mother Nature’s elements.

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“So, I thought maybe we can get a new one built,” she said.

That’s when Ellis reached out to one her friends, Mike White, who owns a local construction company. It was a project he couldn’t turn down.

“So, I said it wouldn’t cost anything. I would donate it for free,” said White. “So, we made sure the construction was well.”

White says the cabinet was built with Mother Nature in mind, using materials like plywood, hinges that self-close and a roof with shingles to ensure no leakage.

“Anything to help out our community because times are tough right now,” White said.

“We’re really happy that he donated it and we’re really happy our volunteer… painted it,” said Ellis. “Seeing as the North Sydney Food Bank is always helping the community and community groups and different ways, we just thought this was a good tie in and a good little project for us.”

“It’s just another way of giving back to our community.”

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