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Usually when the bank shows up on your doorstep it’s not good. Unless you’ve been without power and it’s the @OttawaFoodBank ! Thank You to Michael and his team for working with @OCH_LCO First stop restocking the community food pantry in Bay Ward is Regina Towers! pic.twitter.com/kbfL981Qg8 — Mark Taylor (@Go_Taylor) September 23, 2018

The food bank was part of a meeting Sunday with Ottawa Public Health, Ottawa Community Housing, along with MP Catherine McKenna and councillors Mark Taylor and Catherine McKenney, focused on how to assist community housing tenants who were still in the dark.

OCH reported Sunday that 17 of its townhouse and low-rise buildings were still without power along with eight high-rises that were also blacked out and running on emergency generators. The generators kept the elevators in service and ran pumps to maintain water pressure on upper floors, but they were running low on fuel as the blackout continued.

The Food Bank also trucked food to the Salvation Army mobile kitchen that set up Sunday afternoon in Manordale Park to serve hot meals to residents in that blacked-out community.

“The next thing for us will be Monday morning, working with the food banks in Ottawa Community Housing that are still without power,” Maidment said. “There are five food banks in the west end, and all do not have power. Any perishable food will be spoiled by now.

“We’re now putting (a plan) together to replace the food they’ve lost once the power comes up, and that might not be for several days.”

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Ottawa Public Health warns of the danger of spoiled food and tweeted its guidelines for dealing with a power failure. Food in a full freezer can last 48 hours without power and 24 hours in one that’s half full. A refrigerator will only keep cold for four to six hours without power. Food that has been at room temperature for more than two hours should be thrown out as should food that has an obvious bad smell or look. “When in doubt, throw it out,” the health unit advises.