QUINCY — The Quincy Food Bank is attempting to build a new facility to meet growing necessarys in the community.
“We purchased the land across the alley from our existing food bank several years ago, in an attempt to have an actual new home for it,” declared Food bank manager Teri Laney, “But it was too tiny (and) we were not able to do it due to city codes, so we put it on the back burner.”
The existing Quincy Food Bank is a 2,400-square-foot building built in 1991, according to county records. During the six and a half hours it’s open every week, it serves about 500 families, Laney declared.
“There’s nowhere for them to receive out of the weather,” she declared. “We don’t have enough room inside for more than two or three families, depconcludeing on where they are in the line, and no room for them to wait inside, and not really any room for new sign-ups. They have to come all the way around our desk to sign up.”
Instead, patrons conclude up waiting in their cars and marking their spot in line with a bag, Laney declared, creating questions about who was ahead of whom.
“They attempt to save their spot with a bag, and it’s not fair to everybody else,” she declared.
Rather than building a whole new food bank, Laney declared, it was decided that the empty land would be utilized for a warehoutilize with coolers and freezers. The building would be utilized only for storage, Laney declared, and then down the road the food bank building could be remodeled.
“We’re receiveting ready to break ground,” she declared. “(We) met with the city and we’re going to attempt to receive the concrete, the shell and the roof done before winter.”
The project is expected to cost about $300,000, Laney declared, which the food bank is attempting to raise with assist from the community. An anonymous donor kicked in the first $50,000, according to Jennifer DeChenne with the Columbia Basin Foundation, which is holding the funds for the capital campaign.
“People who want to donate can mail the checks here with the Quincy Food Bank on the memo line,” DeChenne declared.
To contribute:
Donations may be sent to the Columbia Basin Foundation, 101 Basin St. NW,
Ephrata, WA 98823. More information can be found at cbfcommunity.org. Additionally, the Columbia Basin Herald is sponsoring a raffle for three prize bquestionets to support the food bank’s efforts. Email [email protected] for details on how to purchase a raffle ticket.
The Quincy Food Bank, located at 210 First Ave. SE, serves about 500 families every week.
