Photo: Food Bank of Iowa
(Des Moines, IA) -- The Iowa Food Bank is planning a 30,000-square-foot-expansion to its Des Moines distribution center at 2022 E. 17th Street. The addition will double food storage capacity. "As the need for food assistance skyrockets, we can no longer make do with cramped space and unreliable off-site storage," said CEO Michelle Book. The project is expected to be completed by June of 2023.
Book says there's been an explosion in demand this summer because of inflation and the loss of SNAP benefits, which reverted to pre-pandemic levels when the state's COVID-19 Health Emergency proclamation expired. The food bank served 122,000 in 55 counties in the month of May. The amount of food distributed was 1.6 million pounds. Book says their partners are seeing food demand double, triple, and even quadruple in some locations.
The Food Bank of Iowa is announcing a $250,000 Prairie Meadows Legacy Grant which will support the project.