Food banks have a bigger presence in the U.S. than ever.

It’s not just that millions of Americans turned to food banks for the first time during the pandemic. It’s also that food banks are exploding in terms of sheer footprint.

Most prominent is Atlanta Community Food Bank’s new 345,000 square-foot facility, which now serves as the food bank’s headquarters, warehouse and distribution center, replacing two buildings of 130,000 square feet. Roughly the size of five and half football fields, it is being billed as the world’s single largest food bank facility.

The Atlanta food bank is hardly alone:

  • Los Angeles Regional Food Bank in 2020 bought a 255,000 square-foot building that it recently opened and continues to renovate.
  • Second Harvest Heartland’s new 233,000 square-foot facility near Minneapolis replaces one that was 75,000 square feet.
  • Philabundance in the fall leased a 130,000 square-foot building to support food distribution, a year after opening a new 18,000 square-foot culinary training center.
  • The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts is developing a 61,000 square-foot property that will double the size of its current location.
  • River Bend Food Bank in Iowa is adding a third location and expanding its primary facility, while Community Food Bank of New Jersey is planning a capital campaign to replace its current 80-year-old facility.

Read the full article about food bank growth by Chris Costanzo at The Counter.