Food Bank of North Alabama cut the ribbon of new distribution facility

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The Food Bank of North Alabama celebrated three milestones Thursday. One is the food bank officially unveiling its new distribution center and headquarters.

All three of these milestones share a common thread: serving the rapidly growing population of people facing food security in North Alabama.

“We have seen almost double the people in need in our community, the number of people who are asking for food assistance,” CEO of the Food Bank of North Alabama Shirley Schofield said.

Schofield adds that they are on track to deliver over 14 million pounds of food by the end of this year, which is over 2 million pounds more than last year. The new distribution center provides the space and capacity they need to serve the community in such high quantities.

“It is heartbreaking that we are needed so much, but that’s the way it is,” Schofield said. “And, we want to make sure that we can rise to the occasion.”

The Food Bank of North Alabama also announced a new campaign: food is the focus, the people are the why. Funds raised from this initiative will go hand-in-hand with serving the growing population needing food assistance. Further, the food bank wishes to continue adding onto their facility, saying it is not fully built up yet, with dreams of installing things such as a commercial kitchen.

The initiative has already made headway towards the over $14 million goal with help from large, local donors like Boeing.

“We want our communities to be successful,” Boeing Huntsville Site Manager Pierce Lehr said. “We want our families to be able to work through any challenges they have, and then create a better vision for themselves and be able to achieve it.”

Marking the food bank’s 40th anniversary, the first-ever executive director from all those years ago reflected on the tremendous growth.

“40 years ago, we were in about 5,000 square feet near the end of the John Deere building,” Former Executive Director of the Food Bank of North Alabama Richard Hiatt said. “And, today, we’re standing in a state of the art food distribution center. It’s night and day, it’s sun and moon.”

With the increase in space, the food bank needs the community now more than ever to keep the shelves stocked. Community members can volunteer, donate food, host a food drive or donate money to support them.

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