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Food Bank Begins Capital Campaign

By Theresa-Marie Wilson ~

The Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County is expecting to feed 50,000 people in need this year and has outgrown the functionality of the two facilities it currently operates out of. Plans are underway to consolidate operations into one building in San Luis Obispo.

The Food Bank has moved into the public phase of their capital campaign–Nourish Our Future–to raise funds for the new facility that will better suit their current needs. Construction of the building on Kendall Road is slated to be complete by this September.

“It will offer a whole new design in terms of processing rescued food and distributing it countywide,” said Food Bank Chief Executive Officer Carl Hansen. “It will also provide opportunities for agencies to shop as before. We hope to be adding more agencies for distribution to make it easier for them to have access to the products that we have without them having to drive to the warehouse. The idea is to serve the community better and continue to grow the poundage of nutritious food that we give out to those who are in need.”

Currently, the Food Bank runs operations out of warehouses located in both Paso Robles and Oceano. Once the new consolidated facility in San Luis Obispo is complete, the annual cost savings is expected to be between  $200,000 and $300,000.

“We will lower our cost per pound significantly by having one facility to operate rather than two,” Hansen said.

For every dollar saved, the Food can provide $10 worth of food, not only through their own distributions, but also through the non-profits and schools they partner with, said Hansen. The savings would go towards new and expanded programs such as the children’s and senior’s farmers’ markets, to summer lunch and after-school snack programs, as well as to distributions aimed at helping families who struggle with hunger or access to good nutrition.

Through their food rescue programs like GleanSLO, the Food Bank saved more than 3 million pounds of food from going to waste. The large volume of produce and perishable items is one of the reasons the organization requires a facility that accommodates their need for increased refrigeration and storage capacity.

In 2015, the Food Bank Coalition distributed 6.3 million pounds of nutritious food, 49 percent of which was fresh produce, to 50,000 people throughout the county. That number was an increase from 40,000 in 2014.

“It’s not so much an increase in the year, it is actually a recognition of the fact that our programs are serving people more often, and with the cost of living in our area, we have come to realize that there are more people out that there (in need) than we knew before,” Hansen said. “Part of that is our children’s programs because we are trying to increase access to healthy foods so kids can eat healthy food more often. Partnering with our agencies that serve youth for afterschool programs and summer lunches, those programs have increased dramatically. It’s the same with our senior programs.”

The new facility comes with a $3.8 million price tag. With the equity in the Paso Robles location, the Food Bank was able to put a hefty down payment on the new property. Additionally, the quiet phase of the Nourish our Future campaign, which began in the late fall of 2015, raised more than $675,000 to kick off fundraising efforts. That leaves a $2.5 million mortgage.

The current public phase of the campaign includes corporate giving programs, as well as naming recognition opportunities for individual donors or companies who would like their own name, or the name of a loved one, honored as a tribute in the new Food Bank facility.

The Food Bank also coordinates 57 public food distribution sites and works with 1,800 dedicated volunteers and more than 200 non-profit community and agency partners. To learn more about the Food Bank Coalition’s work throughout the county, visit slofoodbank.org.

For more information on the Nourish our Future campaign, or to donate, visit NourishourFuture.org or call the Food Bank at 238-4664.

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