By Brendan Ulmer
Ulmer Uncensored
The Reno County Food Bank served over 15,000 people last year. According to them, they’ve served roughly 20% of the population of Reno County. If that wasn’t shocking enough, the Food Bank, in its current location, can only let two shoppers in at a time due to space restrictions.
I repeat, that’s 15,000 people served, in groups of only two.
This issue of space has been a problem, as the space not only limits the number of people who can shop in the space, but it also limits the quantity and variety of food available. The restrictions on how many people can be in the Food Bank at a time have necessitated the creation of a 10-minute time limit to make sure everyone gets a chance to grab their food.
The Reno County Food Bank has been working very hard to solve these issues, and from what I saw this week, they’re super close to doing so. They just need some help from us in the community to push them over the finish line.
The Food Bank is preparing to move into the space that used to be a Family Dollar at the intersection of Fourth and Severance. They’ve launched a $1 million capital campaign to renovate and properly equip this new facility.
This week, I had the privilege of touring this new facility. I was led on this tour by two Food Bank Board Members, Ken Davidson and Donna Davis. I was incredibly impressed by these individuals, their care for the community, their knowledge on the topic of local food insecurity, and their burning passion for combating this problem.
The building has the bones to be a good grocery store and a great food bank. There is so much space where the Family Dollar Aisles used to be that the Food Bank will not only be able to multiply the number of people who can shop for food at a time, but they will also use some of this excess space for offices. These offices will not only house operations for the Food Bank, but also the local nonprofit First Call For Help.
Having First Call For Help and the Food Bank sharing the same space will be a game-changer. First Call For Help is a major source of assistance for those in need, especially for things like household cleaning and health supplies. Housing those resources with those of the Food Bank will create a one-stop location for people to meet their household needs.
This added space also opens the door for another seismic, positive change for the Food Bank, room for more cold storage space. I think it’s a pretty universal experience, donating dry foods to a food bank or charity. That food is no doubt valuable, but ultimately, nonperishable foods are rarely the most nutritious. This will open the door for the Food Bank to carry more fresh foods and produce, which is a pretty remarkable feature for a food bank to have. It should not be cost-prohibitive to eat healthy.
The cold-storage upgrades alone will create positive reverberations in the region. The Reno County Food Bank not only serves those who come to their facility, but they also distribute to smaller food banks in cities all over the area. These smaller food banks will be able to receive more fresh food as a result of the Food Bank’s expanded capabilities.
The Food Bank had already been making a positive impact on thousands of lives with very limited space. I’m very eager to see what impact they will be able to make once this new facility is completed.
If you would like to donate to the Reno County Food Bank’s Capital Campaign, please visit their website at www.foodbankofrenocounty.org/campaign. You can also reach out to them through their phone number, 620-727-3341, or their email address, foodbank@foodbankofrenocounty.org.