Deadline looms for Loaves and Fishes to find new location

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - The deadline for Loaves and Fishes to find a new location is down to six months. The longtime Biloxi community kitchen is about $7,000 away from its fundraising goal, meaning the search for a new home and financing is becoming even more intense.

“We were told last week that the building was ready for purchase, so we definitely need somewhere to go. We don’t want to wait until the last minute,” said Leslie Ramon, Loaves and Fishes executive director.

It’s a deadline, and a fundraising goal, that Ramon said is getting closer by the minute.

“Going through the bank with a nonprofit, it’s difficult to show that we can pay the rent, so it’s $50,000 in the bank before they would even look at us. The bank said to shoot for $50,000, my goal originally was $100,000. We’re at $43,000 right now,” Ramon added.

While she gets the donor list ready and targets a couple of key fundraisers coming up, her staff continues its mission of serving more than 53,000 meals a year to those in need.

“Poverty insecurity or food insecurity can hit anybody at any time, and we are available to those people and anyone who needs us. If they walk through the door, we will feed them a hot meal and show them the love of Christ,” said Aliese Halcomb, Loaves and Fishes operations manager.

Their hope is they can continue that service if and when they find a new location.

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