The Food Bank of Delaware has begun a Capital Campaign to expand our facility in

Milford. Expansion of the facility is urgently needed.  The increase in demand for
our services to feed the hungry in Delaware, especially in Kent and Sussex
counties, is increasing at an alarming rate.  If we don't expand our facility and
services, this increased demand will go unfulfilled.
 
There are three major components to the expansion of the facility, which
will essentially double the size of the existing Food Bank in Milford:
 
- Construct a culinary training school (commercial kitchen and classrooms) to help
unemployed and underemployed people acquire the skills needed to become
productive members of the workforce and to give us the ability to prepare hot meals
on-site for our children's feeding programs. The kitchen will also allow us to expand our gourmet catering business to Kent and Sussex Counties. Proceeds from this help fund student scholarships. 

- Construct a new Volunteer Room to allow the Food Bank to increase the number of volunteers needed to meet the increased demand.  Without the critical roles played by our volunteers, we would not be able to serve the many people that we do.

- Build a new retail area so that people in need can shop for groceries and other needed items at below market costs.  The retail area and classroom space will be designed to also accommodate meetings and conferences for large groups dealing with hunger issues in Delaware.
 
- In addition to the cost of the structure, there are costs involved to acquire kitchen equipment, computers for the classrooms, phones and a new walk-in refrigerator to support the kitchen.
 
Total costs approach two million dollars for this project. 

For more information, please contact Ed Matarese at (302) 444-8072 or email him at ematarese@fbd.org.