PALM BECH COUNTY, Fla. — The Palm Beach County Food Bank has a new place to call home.
The 28,000 square-foot facility is complete with elevated docks, state-of-the-art freezers and can house more food, upgrades that will allow the agency to meet the unprecedented need for food.
Historically, the Palm Beach County Food Bank provided access to nutritious food for more than 200,000 hungry Palm Beach County residents every month.
Since COVID-19 disrupted the county's economy, the demand for the Food Bank's services has tripled.
While pre-COVID-19 distributions averaged close to 5 million pounds per year, the current facility is now distributing close to 1.5 million pounds of food per month.
"This facility is going to make it so much easier for everybody, for our warehouse staff for our drivers for their drivers, for their staff coming to pick up the food, this is going to catapult the food bank into a completely different new arena," said Jamie Kendall, Chief Operating Officer for the Palm Beach County Food Bank.
"We're kind of hoping to be a little bit over the worst part of COVID, but we are still going to have the aftermath of COVID there are still people without jobs. There are still people that might be back at their job, but they are still playing catch up from everything that they lost," said Kendall.
The Palm Beach County Food Bank procures food from grocery stores, farmers, food distributors, wholesalers and other sources and provides it to almost 200 local community partners, including food pantries, soup kitchens and residential housing programs.
Palm Beach County Food Bank programs reach families, children and seniors, and connect those in need to available benefits and resources. Partner agencies distribute the products received, including culturally appropriate food and necessities like paper towels and diapers. This process ensures families have access to food when they need it most.
The new facility was made possible after completing a $3 million "Grow with Us" capital campaign. It's located at 701 Boutwell Road #A2 in Lake Worth Beach.
Those in need of food assistance may visit the Palm Beach County Food Bank website to learn where they can find food distributions right in their neighborhood. To learn more about opportunities to volunteer, host a food drive or make a financial contribution to the Palm Beach County Food Bank, click here or call at 561-670-2518.