Mountaineer Food Bank has a new, much larger and centrally located warehouse to serve significantly more food insecure West Virginians.
The new, 864,000 square-foot facility in Gassaway – roughly the size of 15 regulation football fields – will serve 48 of the state’s 55 counties and is designed to quickly get more food to those in need.
A massive section for refrigerated and frozen foods allows the food bank and its partners to provide healthier options including fruits, vegetables and proteins.
“Having cold storage capacity is critical in not only meeting food insecurity needs, but making sure that we’re getting proteins, healthier foods. When you think of fresh produce, if it’s staying somewhere for a little bit, it’s got to be in cold storage. If you think of milk for young children, it’s got to be in cold storage for a little bit,” Caitlyn Cook, the food bank’s director of advocacy and public policy, said. “So this new facility is completely increasing that capacity. And we did focus on the cold storage because that was something that was really lacking.”
The other thing it helps with is response time during crises.
“Our state has seen many floods. We as the charitable food network have done our best to respond to those disasters, but a lot of times, without the proper storage capacity, we have to wait on food,” Cook said. “Having a facility like this allows us to have certain food that rotates in and out as sort of an emergency buffer.”
There are an estimated 270,000 people in West Virginia – one in six residents, including one in five children – who lack consistent access to adequate food.
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