West Alabama Food Bank Discusses 5-Year, $10M Comprehensive Plan

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Growing food insecurity in the area seems the only thing that rivals the ambitions for growth at the West Alabama Food Bank.

Click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter and breaking news alerts.

While the two may go hand-in-hand, it was this pressing need to feed the hungry that guided the food bank in developing its five-year, $10 million capital campaign, which will not only see the West Alabama Food Bank move into a more-spacious home, but will also result in expanded offerings and services.

West Alabama Food Bank Executive Director Jean Rykaczewski and attorney David Popen were in attendance for Wednesday's regular meeting of the Tuscaloosa County Commission to give updates, while also requesting $250,000 to go toward its capital improvements — namely the seed funding for a teaching kitchen.

ALSO READ: Charity Group Donates $100K To West Alabama Food Bank

The teaching kitchen, Rykaczewski said, would allow the food bank to personally instruct those benefiting from its services how to prepare healthy meals from the items they receive.

"Tens of thousands of people in our area struggle every day with hunger," she said, mentioning at last one in four children in west Alabama live with food insecurity. "Right now, with the inflation and higher gas prices, these families are really struggling to feed their families. We have a saying at the food bank that 'there is more month than money.' The money just runs out before the end of the month and now we’re seeing that happen earlier and earlier in the month."

The West Alabama Food Bank serves a nine-county area with Tuscaloosa County as its central distribution hub, with its old location off of McFarland Boulevard in Northport. But as demand picked up, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent economic downturn, the food bank's leadership set out to craft a comprehensive plan to both meet the demand and expand upon its offerings to better serve those who depend on them.

This is where the move in facilities comes in.

Popen said a deal has already been approved that will see the West Alabama Food Bank move its central hub to the current 65th Avenue location currently occupied by Buffalo Rock. The large-scale bottler has consolidated its operations with the advent of new technology, Popen said, which opened up the space and all of its possibilities for the West Alabama Food Bank.

What's more, the food bank was able to sell its current location for roughly $1.5 million, which will be part of roughly $5 million that will be put toward the effort from the food bank's coffers and fundraising.

"The heart of the issue is we’re very, very under-spaced," he said.

He then pointed out that the West Alabama Food Bank also recently broke ground on 11,000-square-foot cooler that will be central in storing food for redistribution.

Rykaczewski mentioned several cases where loads of chicken or produce were brought to the food bank, but the facility simply did not have the storage capabilities to store and redistribute the food.

As part of the expansion efforts, from 2022-2026, the expectation is the West Alabama Food Bank will be able t0 source and distribute nearly 30% more food over this five-year basis mentioned in the comprehensive plan. The facility would also add seven or eight new employees, in addition to featuring a "food pharmacy" and on-site community garden.

"Staff equals services and we do need to have additional staff," Popen said. "With the food pharmacy, rather than just give our citizens healthy produce or tell them what they have to do, we'll actually have a medical professional helping them [find the right options for a healthy diet]."

Tuscaloosa County Probate Judge Rob Robertson commended the food bank for its efforts, before saying the Commission would further consider the monetary request before making a decision in the future.

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Tuscaloosa Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of the latest sponsors for Tuscaloosa Patch? Email all inquiries to me at ryan.phillips@patch.com.