Rotary gift pushes Food Bank closer to building campaign goal
EL CENTRO — A $7,000 check from the Rotary Club of El Centro presented to the Imperial Valley Food Bank marks the start of a final push to raise the funds needed to build a new, centrally located food bank facility in Imperial.
The donation, which includes matching funds from a Rotary District grant, will pay for the purchase of automated equipment needed to shrink wrap pallets of stored food that will help increase the efficiency of the food bank operation.
“Helping the Imperial Valley Food Bank meet the needs of the Valley’s food insecure is a major focus of our club,” club President Kris Becker said. “It just made sense that we seek a Rotary District grant to help even more.”
With the Rotary donation to the cost of needed equipment, the Imperial Valley Food Bank is turning to the public for support as it enters the final phase of its capital campaign to raise the funds to build a larger, more centrally located facility so that it can improve its ability to safely store and provide food to the estimated 24 percent of local residents, many of them children, who are food insecure.
The new 28,000-square-foot food bank facility will include modern loading docks, enough space to ensure food safety in freezer and food storage areas, teaching and gardening areas, and plenty of parking.
Located on 3 acres of land the food bank has already purchased in the Imperial Business Park.
The new facility will have easy access to public transportation.
“I want to thank the families and companies that have stepped up to help us get the building campaign this far,” food bank Executive Director Sara Griffen said. “Now, we need an added boost to get to the finish line.”
So far, the Imperial Valley Food Bank has raised more than 87 percent of the $6 million needed to build the new facility and to create an endowment fund to cover the cost of maintenance and project support.
“With the community’s help, we can ensure all residents have access to nutritional food and gain the nutritional education they need to become self-reliant, make healthier food choices and improve their quality of life, now and into the future,” Griffen said.