Federal Funding for Second Harvest Food Bank

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Abingdon, Virginia

          I am pleased to be in Abingdon this morning to announce a total of nearly $2 million in federal funding for the Second Harvest Food Bank.

          At my urging, and effective today, the U. S. Department of Agriculture through its Rural Development Agency, is awarding two low-interest loans to the Appalachian Branch of the Second Harvest Food Bank.  The first loan of $1,879,400 will allow Second Harvest Food Bank to purchase a new building, and the second loan of $104,000 will allow the Food Bank to purchase some needed equipment.  The real estate loan will be for a term of 40 years, and the equipment loan will be for a term of 8 years.

          The Appalachian Branch of the Second Harvest Food Bank began in a small corner room at this location in 1989.  The agency now encompasses the entire lower level of the building and includes a soup kitchen which serves more than 300 lunches per week.  This facility has served the agency for over two decades; however, the current 9000 square feet space is inadequate for the Food Bank to meet its growing demand for services.  Currently the Food Bank is only able to ship 5 million pounds of food each year through the single bay doors.   The ceilings are low making it impossible to create efficient stacks of product which then limits the amount of floor space available for refrigeration units.  The single loading dock must be accessed at an angle which makes loading and unloading of product challenging and dangerous.   Parking is limited.   The national affiliate for the Food Bank, America's Second Harvest, has advised that the building is not in compliance with its standards and must be replaced.  Unfortunately, there is no room for expansion on site.

          My office has worked with the staff of the Second Harvest Food Bank as it began recognizing the need for new quarters.  The Food Bank has spent five years looking for a new home, and several buildings in the Washington County area have been considered.  Recently, the Food Bank identified a facility that will provide both the ceiling and floor space to efficiently and adequately move product in and out of the warehouse and refrigeration units.  The funding which I am announcing today will be used to purchase and renovate the building and to purchase additional equipment. 

          The new building will include 10,000 square feet of warehouse storage space, 5,000 square feet of space containing a 28 feet bay, 2,000 square feet of office space, 1,000 square feet of additional mezzanine floor space, one covered loading dock, two self-leveling bumper pad docks, two eight-feet shipping doors, and one 12-feet shipping door with an electric motor.  The renovations to the building that will need to be completed are the addition of a 1500 square feet freezer, a 1500 square feet cooler, a salvage sorting room, storage racking, and an outfitted kitchen.  The equipment to be purchased includes forklifts, electric pallet jacks, a reach truck, small freezers, small coolers, office equipment and kitchen equipment.

          The Food Bank plans to be moved into its new space in January 2009.  At that time, the Food Bank will be able to expand its services beyond its current 92 partnering agencies in eleven counties.  It will also be able to meet the current demands to ship 9 million pounds of food in a year and more if necessary.  It will also be able to provide more meals at its expanded on-site soup kitchen.

          I would like to take the opportunity of these remarks to recognize Pam Irvine, Executive Director of the Second Harvest Food Bank in Roanoke, and her staff here at the Appalachian Branch for their dedication to serving the nutrition needs of the region.

          I would like to thank Travis Jackson, Area Manager for USDA's Rural Development Agency, who assisted the Food Bank with the application and shepherded it through the USDA approval process.

          Finally, I want to recognize Laura Lee my Deputy Chief of Staff her persistence and persuasiveness in urging that the funding be provided to Second Harvest Food Bank.

          I offer congratulations to Second Harvest Food Bank, its partnering agencies, and those who will benefit from the new space.