“We have never, ever, including during the pandemic, been able to touch everyone who needs (help),” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, a national network of most food banks in the U.S. The move preceded COVID-19, but officials say it was a boon during the pandemic.
The Utah Food Bank is adding space in Salt Lake City and is also set to erect new food warehouses elsewhere in the state.Īnd in Georgia, the Atlanta Community Food Bank moved into a 345,000-square-foot (32,000-square-meter) warehouse billed as the world’s largest food bank.
Two North Carolina food banks flush with cash from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott are set to build new structures that will double their capacity to store food. “It was like somebody flipped a switch.”Įven though demand for fresh and packaged provisions has dropped from pandemic peaks, the need remains far above pre-pandemic levels.įeeding South Florida is planning a large new plant to increase its produce supply.
“So many people who had never had to ask for help found themselves in a position of needing it and not knowing where to go,” said Ginette Bott, president and CEO of the Utah Food Bank. ATLANTA - Food banks across the country are pursuing major expansion projects driven in part by their experiences during the pandemic, when they faced an explosion of need.
