The second site will offer free dinners to kids, a population that suffered acutely from food insecurity when schools that provided meals went virtual. In Utah, one of two new warehouses will be near a Native American reservation that was a challenge to serve during the pandemic, said Bott. “But what we’ve come to understand better than we ever have before is what we’re capable of and how do we think through the long game.” “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. Even 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.

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