The Greater Cleveland Food Bank (GCFB) has broken ground on a new 200,000 ft2 East Side building, which will be constructed to house all intake, distribution and production needs, in Coit Road, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, the US.
GCFB President and CEO Kristin Warzocha said: “The food bank has seen an increased need for assistance during the pandemic, with about 414,000 clients seeking assistance from March 2020 to March 2021, including 170,000 new clients. The new Coit Road facility will help meet those demands. I believe that this expansion will be truly transformational in our ability to fight against hunger and support everyone in our community.”
Go deeper with GlobalData
The new facility will provide more space to accommodate for dry and cold food storage, alongside a larger kitchen and separate areas for volunteering and community work.
The GCFB president added that the current building on South Waterloo Road will be restored later to serve as a food pickup location, as well as to help with problems such as housing and employment. She also stated that the GCFB even turned away donations last year because of storage problems and limited distribution capabilities.
Warzocha said: “We’ve been fighting hunger in our community for more than 40 years. But the economic issues caused by Covid have made it even worse. Now, one in six people in the six counties we serve are food insecure.”
See Also:
Cuyahoga County executive Armond Budish said: “The expansion aims to assist the food bank’s efforts to address the roots of food insecurity in the region. The county has aided GCFB in those efforts with about $1.5m in financial support through 2020. We’re the richest country in the world, we shouldn’t have people going hungry. But we do. And it’s the food bank that fulfils the promise of America by taking care of our residents.”
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataCleveland City Councilman Michael Polensek observed that out of the 50 largest cities in the US, Cleveland has the highest overall poverty.
Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority CEO and safety director Jeff Patterson said: “While the expansion will allow for more efficient distribution of food and resources through the GCFB, it also will aid other local organisations. CMHA works with the food bank to provide backpacks with lunches for schoolchildren and groceries for elderly residents in the Cleveland area, and the expansion will help those programmes continue and grow.”
The land for the new facility has been donated by the DiGeronimo family, of which Vic DiGeronimo serves as a GCFB board member.
——————————————————————————————————
The new facility will provide more space to accommodate for dry and cold food storage, alongside a larger kitchen and separate areas for volunteering and community work. Credit: Elmarie van Rooyen/Unsplash.
