Tri-State Food Bank Acquires New facility

Tri-State Food Bank, Inc. has acquired a new facility to support its mission of supplying food where it’s needed most. The 80,000 square foot warehouse and office space, located at 2504 Lynch Road in Evansville, was formerly owned by Whayne Supply.  When renovations are complete, it will replace Tri-State Food Bank’s present facilities at 801 E. Michigan Street, where the food bank began operations in 1982.

The facility will be showcased at the 3rd Annual Mac & Cheese Festival, Saturday November 2nd at 7 p.m.  Limited tickets for the fundraiser are available at tristatefoodbank.org/macfest, by texting MacFest to 41444, or by calling the organization at 812-425-0775. Local celebrity Melody Pfeffer and area chefs will prepare their favorite versions of macaroni and cheese. Attendees can sample traditional, non-traditional and dessert mac & cheese, and taste local craft brews, and enjoy live, local entertainment.

“Holding our 3rd Annual Mac & Cheese Festival in this vast empty space will underscore the enormity of the hunger problem in our area,” said Executive Director Glenn Roberts, “Tri-State Food Bank currently distributes over 9 million pounds of food annually through its partners in the Tri-State area, but the need for food, especially for those most vulnerable – our children, seniors and rural families – is nearly twice that.  We are driven by our mission to do more, and this space, soon to be filled with nutritious food, provides the means.”

Fully meeting the needs of the nearly 112,000 food insecure individuals living in the 33-county service area is estimated to take 17 million pounds of food per year.  “We asked the community what we should do about the problem, and this is the solution they endorsed.” noted Board President Patrick Thomas. “Tri-State Food Bank will need the volunteer and financial support of our friends throughout Southwestern Indiana, Southeastern Illinois and Western Kentucky to finish this dream we are showcasing November 2nd.”

If funding is received on schedule, the facility could be in operation and making an immediate impact as early as April of 2020.  “We know the food is out there, but without adequate facilities to receive, store, sort and deliver the food to our agency partners, families will continue to worry about where their next meal will come from,” according to Roberts.  “This new facility will provide the square footage, configuration, loading docks, and volunteer workspace necessary to fully meet the Tri-State’s needs.”

Tri-State Food Bank has supplied food where it’s needed most since 1982.  Its mission is ‘to improve the quality of life for our community’s food insecure families and children by providing adequate food and nutrition through our network of local charities and organizations feeding the hungry’. More than 7 million meals for children, seniors and families are distributed annually in the 33-county service area in the Tri-State. For more info, visit www.tristatefoodbank.org.