Pickett County is looking to move its food bank from school property to a decommissioned Tennessee-Western Kentucky Methodist Church.
Pickett County Executive Stephen Bilbrey said the school system has taken care of the food bank for many years. Bilbrey said that the new food bank location at the bypass next to the Dairy Queen would be more convenient for citizens.
“Where it’s at now is just in the heart of the school property up there,” Bilbrey said. “In between the high school and Pickett County K-8 and just would feel more comfortable with this day in time, pretty much all schools around pretty much anywhere, we don’t want people on their campus unless their supposed to be there.”
Bilbrey said that the new location will also have far more room for volunteers and food recipients to work and move around. Bilbrey said the county will hopefully approve the move in November upon receiving the deed to begin the moving process by late winter-early spring.
“They wanted us to make sure that we would accept it and then they had their meeting in October,” Bilbrey said. “Now we’re just waiting on their legal folks I guess to get a deed to us.”
Bilbrey said that before moving supplies into the new location the building will probably need a few renovations.
“Have to redo just probably a little bit of the flooring that’s in it,” Bilbrey said. “I guess the Methodist Church used it for their youth group activities and it’s been a few years I think since they’ve used it, they’ve just basically used it for storage.”
Bilbrey said the Food Bank Board, the school system and county officials are looking forward to the hopeful move. Bilbrey said that they believe the new location will be able to better serve the community.