Our future home at 222 Lake Drive

July 7, 2016

By Patricia Beebe, President and CEO 

If you have visited the Newark warehouse recently, you may have noticed a large green “for sale” sign in our front yard! Yes, our 42,500-square-foot facility at 14 Garfield Way is for sale, and we will be moving our entire operation in the future!

We made a BIG announcement yesterday on Facebook live – we officially acquired a new 80,000-square-foot warehouse in Pencader Corporate Center off Route 896 in Newark!

It’s an exciting time for our organization as we begin retrofitting this new facility to meet our needs! We have a bold vision for the future. Expansive program growth and increased availability of fresh foods have put constraints on our current operations in Newark. As a result, we have run out of room! If you have been to our Newark warehouse before, you know that parking is very limited, tractor trailers have a incredibly difficult time backing into our three loading docks and three separate entrances do not create a welcoming atmosphere for valuable visitors!

This wonderful opportunity will afford us the ability to provide increased services to end hunger through nutritious food, fresh produce, nutrition education and access to various food programs. The expansion of our workforce development efforts will solidify our role in job creation and is urgently needed by our constituents.

To meet the demand of hungry Delawareans, relocating to 222 Lake Drive will enable us to:

  • Increase capacity to feed more children and seniors through our hunger relief programs
  • Create infrastructure for farmers to donate surplus fresh produce to neighbors in need
  • Accept more nutritious, perishable foods from retailers thanks to additional refrigeration and warehouse space
  • Provide additional unemployed and underemployed citizens with training opportunities through workforce development programs that have the potential to lead to jobs that provide security and economic sustainability.

Construction to retrofit the new facility will begin in early fall, and an official groundbreaking will take place in the coming months. Normal operations at 14 Garfield Way will continue during the construction phase. If you are a volunteer, food donor or visitor, you’ll continue to come to our current facility. During this interim period, some administrative staff members will work between both facilities.

This project is a large undertaking. The estimated cost of the entire project, including acquisition of the building and property and construction costs, is $10.5 million. The generosity of our community will be needed now more than ever. I want to ensure all who become involved in this important and very necessary capital campaign that we will not squander your trust, dedication and committed resources. We are grateful to have a capital campaign committee, led by Fred Sears and Alan Levin, that is committed to our vision of a community free of hunger.

As an organization, we are committed to being a solution for the systemic change required for society’s greater good, and this campaign will enable us to do this with more boldness, effectiveness, efficiency, passion and drive. I hope you’ll join us helping to create a BOLD future!

Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we launch an official campaign website and more!

In the meantime, here are some photos of our new facility!

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