The Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County announced that it had found a site for a new consolidated warehouse and distribution center, on Kendall Road in SLO intended to save costs and should give the human welfare organization room to continue to expand well into the future.
The purchase of the lot will allow the organization to consolidate its two warehouses — currently in Paso Robles and Oceano — into one with much more space and more suited to its needs for storage and refrigeration space.
Food Bank must still get permits and build the warehouse, which it has been working towards with a couple of partners — Specialty Construction, Oasis Associates and MW Architects, the organization said in a news release. They expect to be finished with the project and move sometime in “mid-2016.”
“The opportunity for us to relocate to a central point in the county and construct a warehouse that is designed to our specific needs is a huge step forward in our growth,” said Food Bank chief operations officer, Wendy Lewis. “We’re excited to revamp our processes and create a new, more efficient space to better serve our community. It’s going to be a wonderful change for us and the community we serve.”
Food Bank Coalition works with some 200 local groups throughout SLO County to distribute food on a weekly basis to people in need.
Consolidating the two warehouses is, “a necessary step to ensure that the Food Bank can continue maintaining programs and meeting the needs of those who are food insecure in our community,” reads the news release. “In the last 10 years, the organization has approximately doubled its size and the services it provides. Food Bank CEO, Carl Hansen, says the growth that they anticipate in the coming years is beyond the capabilities of their current warehouses, making the recent purchase of land a vital step in their consolidation and service to the community.”
The Food Bank has made a commitment to being “transparent and open” throughout the construction and transition. Updates will be posted on their website (see: www.slofoodbank.org), and on social media.