The Food Bank of Delaware opened of its new 70,000-square-foot facility in Milford. This significant milestone culminated an almost three-year project aimed at enhancing services to residents of Kent and Sussex counties.
Over 400 guests gathered for the grand opening festivities. The highlight of the event was the ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by a generous donation from Perdue Chicken. Perdue Chicken delivered two truckloads of chicken, weighing in at more than 83,000 pounds. Attendees also actively participated in a Day of Service project, packing meal bags for the Food Bank of Delaware’s weekend meal program for children, known as the Backpack Program.
The new facility boasts several key features, including:
- Expanded Storage: The facility includes expanded cold storage and warehouse space capable of distributing upwards of 3.7 million pounds of fresh foods and six million pounds of nonperishable food.
- Healthy Pantry Center: A Healthy Pantry Center is set up like a mini grocery store to directly serve those in need of food assistance, allowing families to select foods best suited for their households.
- Volunteer Room: An area designated for volunteers to sort and pack donations, create meal boxes and bags, and engage in other essential activities.
- Training Space: The facility houses classrooms and hands-on training spaces for workforce development programs in culinary skills and warehousing/logistics.
- Community Garden: There is ample space for a 3.5-acre garden on-site, aimed at growing fresh foods for the community.
- On-Site Café: An on-site café provides employment opportunities to graduates of the culinary training program while offering a place for members of the public to purchase breakfast and lunch.