RICHMOND, Va. – Feed More held a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the construction of its new hunger-fighting home on Villa Park Drive in Henrico County. Designed from the ground up, the building will help the food bank more efficiently meet the ever-changing needs of Central Virginia neighbors experiencing food insecurity.
“This is the beginning of a new chapter in our 56-year journey,” said Doug Pick, President and Chief Executive Officer at Feed More. “As the needs of Central Virginians continue to evolve, this new building will enable Feed More to more efficiently meet the demands of today and more nimbly respond to the challenges of tomorrow.”
Joined by state, local and community leaders including Virginia Secretary of Agriculture & Forestry Matt Lohr, Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources John Little, Sacred Heart Center Executive Director Tanya Gonzalez, Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas and Henrico County Board of Supervisors Chair Frank Thornton, Feed More leaders detailed the benefits of the new mission-oriented facility amid rising community need.
As inflation, fluctuating employment opportunities and more continue, demand for Feed More’s services has risen back to pandemic levels. In fact, Feed More’s nonprofit and food pantry partners have seen more than a 10% increase in visits during the first quarter of 2023, when compared to last year.
Highlights of the 124,000-square-foot facility will include:
- Ample Warehousing: With 25% more capacity for shelf-stable food storage and five times the freezer space, the new building will maximize operations and triple warehouse productivity and deliveries.
- State-of-the-Art Community Kitchen: The Bayard Community Kitchen will double in size, allowing for more efficient preparation of 15,000 healthy, fresh meals each week.
- Centrally Located: The new building will be situated in a heat map-verified central location, making it easily accessible for Meals on Wheels clients, volunteers and associates. Additionally, it will be more accessible for food donation partners and the agencies we serve.
- Enhanced Volunteer Experience: More places and spaces designed to support 200+ daily volunteers, ensuring they have a productive and fulfilling experience.
- Collaboration and Meeting Space: Well-designed collaboration and meeting space for corporate partners, as well as training and certification opportunities for 250+ Agency Network partners, empowering them to connect and better serve our community.
The new facility is set to be completed in Fall 2024.
