SLO County Food Bank warehouse closed temporarily

The Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo’s warehouse operations have been shut down due to a permit issue, according to CEO Kevin Drabinski.

The California Department of Public Health shut down the warehouse on Monday because the Food Bank’s state-issued Processed Food Registration had expired, Drabinski said. The Tribune has reached out to the Department of Public Health for comment.

According to Drabinski, when the Food Bank moved into its new warehouse in November 2016, the form for the permit was not complete and would have been due for a renewal in May. Drabinski said they suspect the state sent the form to the old address, and the Food Bank didn’t receive it.

“Nonetheless, we are responsible for operating under that permit and take responsibility for that,” Drabinski said.

Drabinski said the Department of Public Health told the Food Bank that no food product could enter or leave the warehouse until the issue is resolved. He added that the next time the Food Bank will receive more information about the issue is Wednesday, when they will meet with state representatives.

In the meantime, the Food Bank’s trucks are still permitted to collect and distribute food, so the organization is coordinating with its 107 agency partners to keep operations flowing as smoothly as possible, Drabinski said. He added that the Food Bank expects to complete 60 percent of its scheduled distributions next week.

Any food that arrives at the warehouse will be taken to agency partners, Drabinski said.

This story was originally published November 30, 2017 at 5:48 PM with the headline "SLO County Food Bank warehouse closed temporarily."