Feeding the Valley Food Bank (FTV) will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, March 9 at 9 AM, to celebrate the beginning of construction on an expansion to their Midland warehouse, located at 6744 Flat Rock Road, Midland, GA. 31908. This expansion project will allow the food bank to provide more hunger relief to families in need. During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Feeding the Valley experienced a 53% increase in demand for food assistance, and though the pandemic has eased, the need for additional food has leveled off at a 35% increase over pre-pandemic demand.

This surge in hunger within the 18-county service area of Feeding the Valley is no surprise, given the 24% increase in food prices and skyrocketing household expenses since 2021. For hardworking families with little or no margin in their monthly budgets, these rising prices are forcing them to make difficult decisions between paying their rent, keeping their lights on, or buying food.

To make ends meet, local families are relying on food assistance services. St. Anne Community Outreach, a partner agency of Feeding the Valley, has said that 50% of the families coming to their food pantry are requesting help for the first time.

When asked what happens when people do not have enough food, Frank Sheppard, President & CEO of Feeding the Valley, said, “Proper nutrition is so critical to a person's success no matter their age.  Children who are malnourished struggle in school and fall behind their peers, adults lacking proper nutrition become ill more often, causing them to miss work and the wages essential to their family's wellbeing, and seniors who lack a consistent diet will have to make decisions on getting their prescriptions filled or eating a meal.  FTV's mission is to make sure these negative outcomes do not happen.”

According to Feeding America, the United States has an abundance of food.  But each year, billions of pounds of food go to waste. Meanwhile, 34 million people face hunger in the U.S. Last year, the Feeding America network, which includes Feeding the Valley Food Bank, rescued 3.6 billion pounds of groceries. That food went directly to meals for people facing hunger. Feeding America partners with food manufacturers, grocery stores, restaurants, and farmers to rescue food and deliver it to food banks.

Often, according to Sheppard, food can end up in a landfill instead of on people’s plates if the food bank doesn’t have enough room to safely store food donations & distribute them. FTV has, at times, run out of existing warehouse space, requiring them to rent additional cold storage space at a high cost in order to be able to accept then distribute the food to those who need it.

“Food donations are time sensitive,” says Sheppard.  “A farmer needs the product off their land, or a manufacturer or retail store needs the space in their facility.  If a food bank lacks the capacity to receive a donation on short notice, it will likely be plowed under in the field or sent to the landfill.  FTV's increase in capacity ensures this will not happen.  In particular, we will be able to accept any and all truckloads of healthy lean meats and fresh produce with the increased cold storage and quickly distribute it where needed within the communities we serve.”

Since as many as 31% of children within the Feeding the Valley service area are considered food insecure, it is critically important that food reaches those who need it.  The expansion of the Midland headquarters will position Feeding the Valley to reach its 5-year goal of growing from 16 million pounds of annual food distribution to 23 million pounds.

Once complete, the new expansion will also include a new air-conditioned, state-of-the-art Volunteer Center that will be 50% larger in size than the existing volunteer space, allowing more community volunteers to be directly involved in food distribution. Volunteering at Feeding the Valley has been a popular activity for many corporate, student, and civic groups and individuals in the Columbus area. According to Sheppard, when people volunteer by sorting food, packing food boxes, and helping to prepare food in the kitchen, they are serving a critical role in ending hunger in our community.

Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony will include remarks from key community leaders, including Mayor Skip Henderson’s office, and Rusty Haygood, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Community Affairs.

 To learn more about Feeding the Valley Food Bank, visit www.feedingthevalley.org.