POTLOTEK FIRST NATION - This Richmond County Mi'kmaw community now has a permanent home for its food bank, which existed only on a temporary basis in rotating locations until band councilor Anita Basque stepped up to the plate. 

Basque, who has championed the concept of a food bank serving Potlotek for nearly two decades, ramped up her campaign after winning election to Potlotek Band Council in 2016.

Her dream became a reality in early November, just a few months after Basque and her colleagues hit the right combination of government and community funding, with the latter coming from a wildly successful Chase The Ace lottery that persisted despite the arrival of COVID-19 and its accompanying social-distancing protocols. 

Basque thanked several officials at different levels of government, including Cape Breton-Canso Member of Parliament Mike Kelloway, Richmond County Warden Amanda Mombourquette, Richmond District Five Councilor Brent Sampson and his predecessor, Jason MacLean, as well as Potlotek Chief Wilbert Marshall and her fellow band councilors, as well as the community's Economic Development Officer, Tahirh Paul. 

While the food bank is still setting its formal business hours, it is now serving customers at a location next door to the Potlotek Community Hall, which hosted the official opening ceremonies for the facility on November 4.

Addressing the crowd in attendance, Chief Marshall announced that Potlotek band council is now pursuing the construction of a greenhouse that can provide fresh produce to the food bank and its clients, beginning in the summer of 2021.