Despite the Atlanta Community Food Bank’s robust response to hunger, an estimated 819,000 people in its 29-county service area continue to lack access to nutritious meals . In order to meet the growing demands, the organization has launched the Growing Healthy Futures Capital Campaign to build a new, industry-leading campus and grow the capacity of the emergency food system to close the meal gap in our region. With a new, expanded facility and enhanced community capacity the Food Bank can more effectively achieve its “Bold Goal”—that by 2025 everyone in their service area will have access to the nutritious meals they need when they need them.
The Food Bank’s current facility was built in 2004 and originally designed to house and distribute 40 million pounds of food each year. Yet, last year, the Food Bank distributed more than 70 million pounds and with the level of food insecurity expected to increase over the next decade, they need more capacity to close the meal gap in our region. The new facility will mark a 75% increase in total space and almost triple the capacity of sourcing and distribution to the Food Bank’s 600 plus partners—with 64 acres of land and 345,000 square-feet of indoor facilities in nearby East Point. Plans include expanded freezer and cooler space which will allow the Food Bank to distribute more fresh produce, meat and dairy, so the community will have greater access to healthy choices. Community meeting space and expanded volunteer opportunities are also planned features of the new campus.
“Our ultimate goal is to close the gap between access to nutritious food and those in our communities who struggle with food insecurity. That takes infrastructure, to be sure… but also requires the space to coordinate people, food, and innovation in ways that make the very best use of available resources.” said Kyle Waide, President and CEO for the organization.
Construction for the new campus is expected to begin in early 2019, and relocation is expected to take place by Spring 2020. The new Food Bank home will be located in East Point right off 285 and Camp Creek Parkway. The address is 3215 Redwine Road, Atlanta, 30344.
“The new facility is the first step,” Waide reiterated. “We’ve got big goals to pursue to end hunger in the greater Atlanta and North Georgia region. Growing Healthy Futures is a program that benefits all of us.”