Yuma Community Food Bank under construction
News 11's Samantha Byrd learned more on how this construction will help people in our area
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The Yuma Community Food Bank, built in 1962, is getting a long and overdue face-lift.
But more important, the improvements will help keep food fresh longer.
I went to the food bank to learn more about what the renovation will bring to our area.
The Yuma Community Food Bank feeds over 500 people per week.
The food bank’s goal is to build a hunger-free community.
People in need, like single moms and dads, families, veterans, and senior citizens on fixed incomes, all qualify for free food.
Shara Whitehead, president of the Yuma Community Food Bank, says the renovation will fix insulation problems and help keep the food from going bad.
Whitehead explains, “The food loss was what was significant. We looked at how much waste we had with our dry goods through the summer months and it was significant enough over the last five years that it reached about 100,000 dollars worth of product.”
The food held outside of the cooler should soon be able to last much longer.
The significant food wasted through the summer months inspired this project.
Michelle Merkley, food bank director of operations, says that “because our warehouse gets so hot, we tend to waste a lot of food that could be going out to families, so having the swamp coolers and the insulation will really cut down on the excess waste that we’re having due to the exposure to the heat.”
Every month, over one million pounds of food is moved from the warehouse to the homes of community members and local nonprofits.
When the project is finished even more food will be distributed.
“It’s probably going to be year long project because of the scope of our size and we have about one hundred thousand square feet of warehouse space, so that’s a large undertaking for a food warehouse, so we have to do it in sections,” Whitehead says.
The Yuma Community Food Bank will continue providing residents with accessible food throughout the rest of the construction process.
