It’s a project that’s been in the making for more than a year, and on Friday, officials with the Golden Harvest Food Bank donned hardhats and used oversized eating utensils to move ceremonial dirt to symbolize groundbreaking for phase one of its expansion plans.
To close an 8 million-meal-gap in the 25 Georgia and South Carolina counties the 40-year-old organization serves, Golden Harvest needs extra space for its staff and volunteers to supply food to its 300 partner agencies which consist of church food pantries, schools and community groups, said Amy Breitmann, executive director.
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The food bank also operates the Master’s Table Soup Kitchen.
“This organization started 40 years ago and served 167,000 meals,” said Breitmann, adding that the number of meals served has exploded to more than 12 million annually, but it still doesn’t impact everyone in the area who find it difficult to put food on the table.
Fueled by a $3 million donation from philanthropist and author MacKenzie Scott and a $3.7 million Department of Community Affairs Grant through the March 2020 CARES Act, the $8.7 million project will include a designated volunteer packing and sorting area, a new entrance, increased office and conference room space as well as a catwalk where visitors can get a birds-eye view of the work taking place, said Breitmann.
The second phase will include the addition of a new building across the street from the Commerce Drive facility. The current building will be demolished, and a new produce rescue facility will be constructed.
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Breitmann anticipates the second phase to begin in the fall.
“It will drastically increase the amount of produce, meat and dairy products,” she said. “We’re not just about food, but healthy food. It’s really an exciting time to be involved with the food bank.”
The food bank will be relying on corporate and private donations to make up the final $2 million needed for the project, she said.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the managing editor of The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
