(FROM GEORGIA NEWS NETWORK) – The Athens-based Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, which serves 14 counties including Banks, Barrow, Habersham, Jackson and White, recently celebrated the opening of a new facility in Athens which, officials say, is larger than a football field.
The organization’s Director of Development, Kelly Klein, told Now Habersham they needed the increased space as they had been turning food away due to limited storage capacity.
The food bank expects to distribute up to 20 million pounds of food from the new building, a 74% increase from last year.
The project was made possible, officials say, with the support of donors, partners, and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, who contributed $8.9 million in federal pandemic relief funds.