Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Fountain of Hope to close June 24

The Fountain of Hope Food Bank on Second Street will close on June 24 after nearly two years of operation.

Darrel Potratz started the Fountain of Hope with his son Martin, a minister and food supplier to the impoverished in Los Angeles, Calif., in September of 2004. Potratz said on June 7, "We plan to auction all of the food and stuff in both warehouses off on Saturday, June 24. We will give some to other food banks, but this food needs to be in peoples stomachs rather than in my warehouse."

Potratz said the food bank is closing because of lost funding to get the supplies here adequately and because the food bank is no longer able to meet the expenses of staying open.

"There is not enough traffic here to stay open and my son can no longer get the supplies we were getting transported here regularly," he said.

Potratz said the need for food to those who have nothing to pay still exists in Gurdon and the surrounding areas.

"In 2005, we gave away more than $7,500 worth of food to just needy families here," he said.

"They told us they were hungry and could not pay the donation prices so we gave them the food. I have never turned anyone away."

Potratz said additional food and supplies, above and beyond the $7,500 worth given away locally, was taken by the truckload to Louisiana and Mississippi to help Hurricane Katrina victims this past year.

"The diminished supplies that my son is experiencing may be because so much has already been given away to hurricane victims," he said. "But that is just speculation on my part. I do know that many companies have shipped food overages to hurricane victims for tax write-offs."

Potratz said he rented the former Capps Food Center at the corner of Second and Walnut Streets back in August of 2004.

"I was charging $5 a year for being a member of the food bank effort, but I stopped soliciting for any new members when I discovered we couldnt stay open. That was about the last of May," Potratz said.

In addition to items in the warehouse, Potratz will also be selling the food bank truck. He said it has a 16-foot box.

"I plan to have the June 24 auction right here on the premises," he said. "I will have all my stuff moved here to the one warehouse by then, but I still need an auctioneer to do this."

Potratz said he would like to thank those in the community who supported the food distribution effort during the past two years.