The State College Food Bank has successfully completed its capital campaign for its recently opened new facility in College Township, the organization announced on Wednesday.
By surpassing the $3 million goal for the “Fighting Hunger. Feeding Community. Building Hope.” campaign, the food bank’s new home at 169 Gerald Street will be mortgage-free, meaning the organization can focus its resources on its mission to serve the community.
“Last week, State College Food Bank celebrated this milestone with a heartfelt donor appreciation event, expressing our deepest gratitude to everyone who contributed to our campaign,” Allayn Beck, executive director, said in a news release. “Your support is transforming lives and building a stronger, more hopeful community.”
“We would like to extend a special thanks to The Hamer Foundation and The Ed & Charlene Friedman Charitable Foundation for their extraordinary generosity, commitment, and for wrapping up our campaign. Their significant contributions have been instrumental in achieving our campaign goals and ensuring a brighter future for our community.”
Having long outgrown its previous location at 1321 S. Atherton St., where the food bank resided since 2014, COVID-19 pandemic and inflation further exacerbated space limitations, with the agency seeing a 40% increase in demand between 2022 and 2023.
In less than two years, the food bank acquired, renovated and expanded and moved into the 18,000-square-foot facility, while completing the fundraising campaign.
The new location doubled the food bank’s space. All its operations were consolidated in the new location, eliminating the need for off-site storage, providing room for expanded storage, cooler and freezer space and helping to better assist partner organizations from throughout Centre County.
It offers a much larger client-choice pantry, and more than 4,000 square feet of additions to the Gerald Street building also created a loading dock, large warehouse and donation processing center.
The new location opened earlier this spring, and now the food bank is getting ready to hold an open house.
Community members are invited to visit and learn more about the State College Food Bank from noon to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18.
“This is a unique opportunity to see firsthand how we are working to fight hunger and support our neighbors in need,” Beck said. “Whether you’re a long-time supporter, a new neighbor, or simply curious about our work, we welcome you to come and explore.”
Looking ahead, the food bank’s staff and board plan to expand programs and services to meet the growing needs of the local community.
“We are incredibly grateful to all our donors and supporters who have made this dream a reality,” Jens Thorsen, president of the State College Food Bank board, said. “Being mortgage-free allows us to allocate more resources directly to our programs, ensuring that we can continue to fight hunger and build hope in our community.”
