Statesboro Food Bank moves to larger location

STATESBORO, Ga. (WSAV) – The Statesboro Food Bank reopened full services Wednesday, now working from their larger, newly constructed building.

Their 6,500 square foot food storage has plenty of space for more than just pantry essentials.

“It’s an enormous growth, as far as capacity,” said the executive director of the Statesboro Food Bank, Sheila Stewart-Leach.

She says the food bank provides meal boxes to people with enough food for three meals a day for a week.

“A meal box helps a family eat for the whole week and then they’re eligible, of course, to come back for another next week,” said Stewart-Leach.

She says they’ll be able to serve around 150 to 180 families each week.

You don’t have to be a Bulloch resident to get food. Stewart-Leach says during busy times of the year, they may have people from all different counties come to get something to eat.

“I would say 80% of our clients are from Bulloch County, but if people are driving here, they obviously need help, so we try to help them,” she added.

In addition to their food storage space, in the other half of their 12,000 square feet, they have room for classrooms and a kitchen where people can come to get hot, already-prepared food.

“We’ll be able to do daily meals, both breakfast and lunch, and we’ll also be able to do an array of classes focused on food which could be what’s healthy, what’s nutritious, how to cook it,” said Stewart-Leach.

It’s taken several donations to get them to this point and $500,000 from both the county and the city each. Stewart-Leach says the food bank relies on donations, and they’ll need a bit more funding to finish the rest of their facility.

If you need their services, all you need to do is fill out one form when you get there and they’ll handle the rest. The food bank is located at the corner of Miller Street and Highway 80 near Joiner Anderson Funeral Home.