The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank Expands San Francisco Warehouse
Warehouse Expansion Will Supported Continued Elevated Need for Food Assistance
San Francisco, CA (April 29, 2021) – The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank will break ground this Spring to add an additional 32,000 square feet to its San Francisco warehouse facilities. Together with the building it acquired in Marin in 2018, this will allow the Food Bank to distribute 75 million pounds annually from its two primary facilities, serving up to 200,000 people per week.
“When the Food Bank started this project 5 years ago the goal was to build for the future, but it turns out we are building for right now,” said Tanis Crosby, Executive Director San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. “Before the pandemic, the Food Bank was already a vital lifeline for 140,000 people every week. The economic crisis brought on by COVID-19 forced thousands more to turn to us for help. We are no longer renovating just to expand, but to sustain – it’s about creating the space necessary to provide food for our neighbors who are making real, practical choices every day about where they’re spending scarce dollars.”
To reach the thousands who needed food assistance for the first time during the pandemic, the Food Bank cobbled together a combination of tents and rented warehouse space. Managing eight separate warehouses is incredibly complex. In addition to the cost related to space, transportation, and coordination, the Food Bank has been less efficient than it could be if it were all in one location.
The expanded facility – which is expected to open in Spring 2022 – is an opportunity to meet those we weren’t serving before over the long term – not just in crisis. It will include:
- An additional 32,000 square feet, extending into the current parking lot on the north of the facility at 900 Pennsylvania, San Francisco, CA.
- Two additional loading docks, adding 50% more capacity: from 8 inbound trucks per day to 12-15 per day.
- 5,200 square feet of cold storage space.
- The ability to engage up to 500 partner organizations compared to 380 currently.
- Space to host an additional 20,000 volunteers a year.
The newly renovated and purchased building in Marin was completed in early 2020 – that building will serve as a blueprint for our expansion in San Francisco. But to ensure both facilities not only can hold the food need, but pump it directly to where its most needed, the Food Bank needs to raise an additional $3.5 million to fund vitally important infrastructure like the forklifts, trucks, solar panels, and refrigeration systems.
Learn more about the expansion project:
+++
ABOUT THE SAN FRANCISCO-MARIN FOOD BANK
San Francisco-Marin Food Bank’s mission is to end hunger in San Francisco and Marin. Before the pandemic, one in five neighbors was at risk of hunger. We envision a community where everyone can obtain enough nutritious food in a dignified manner to support the health and well-being of themselves and their families. We address hunger head-on – from our pantry network and home-delivered groceries to our nutrition-education classes and CalFresh enrollment, and we work in many ways to nourish and serve neighbors in need. Every week, 55,000 households count on us for food assistance. Nearly 60 percent of what we distribute is fresh fruits and vegetables. Learn more at www.sfmfoodbank.org.
MEDIA CONTACT
Keely Hopkins, Communications and Social Media Manager
O: 415-282-1900, ext. 292 | C: 415-792-8346
khopkins@sfmfoodbank.org
Share