The Maison du Partage d'Youville food bank in Pointe St. Charles is almost out of money and will be forced to shut down in a few months, organizers said.

Government funding cuts and meagre donations have left the 23-year-old food bank in financial straits, and the organization is now barely able to pay rent at its Centre Street headquarters, employee Daniel Harpin said on Thursday.

"It might seem like we chose this date [for] more pity, but that's not the case," he said. "We went until the bank account said zero."

The Maison is the Pointe's largest food bank and its closure will leave a huge void in the low-income neighbourhood.

About 350 families use the food bank every week, including Danielle Beausecours, who has relied on groceries from the Maison for three years. "Unless I win the Super 7 overnight and I make a big donation, I'm stuck, I'm really stuck," she said.

Quebec has granted the Maison $20,000 to remain open until after the holidays.

But the food bank needs a total of $60,000 to remain open until the end of the fiscal year, Harpin said.