Setting the Table
A campaign to eliminate hunger and help our neighbors thrive
The Foodbank is unwavering in our compassion for those we serve. With the Setting the Table campaign, we are determined to set a larger table across our service area. With the construction of a larger building and the opportunity to bring together more partner agencies and volunteers, we are better positioned to meet the Foodbank’s mission of eliminating hunger in our community.
Hitting the Wall
Our current home has critical facility limitations. It is too small and outdated to meet the needs of the communities we serve. This poses several challenges:
- We have seven trucks, but only two usable loading docks, so often trucks are forced to wait, whether for shipping or receiving. This limits the amount of food we can deliver and accept on a daily basis.
- We currently have capacity for 1,081 dry pallets. The state average is 1,800, so we have 40% less capacity than the average food bank in the Commonwealth.
- Limited space to store product means we can’t order food by the truckload, which weakens our purchasing power.
- We cannot warehouse similar items together, and we can only store what the pallet shelves will hold. At times, we are forced to turn away food donations.
- Most challenging of all, our current facility prevents us from expanding our capacity, which in turn limits the expansion of our partner agencies.
The bottom line: In our current facility, we cannot supply the quantity or quality of food needed to address our neighbors’ food insecurity or nutritional vulnerability and help them create and restore active, healthy lives.
Breaking Ground
With this investment, we will build a 21st century food bank. We will secure a location, build a new facility, house our staff, and grow our partner network – all to support meaningful progress in eliminating hunger and addressing root causes.
Campaign priorities include:
Upgrade Foodbank’s facilities to ensure adequate space for additional food, staff, and deliveries.
- Increase warehouse space.
- Increase office space for additional staff to meet the needs of the community.
- Upgrade receiving and loading docks to ensure more food can be distributed.
- Enhance technology with barcoding, fleet management software, and inventory management systems.
- Increase parking to accommodate guests, volunteers, community partners, and staff.
- Build a maintenance fund.
Strengthen our network by expanding our partner agencies, growing their capacity to serve by 50%.
- Add new partners regionally in Southeastern Virginia, Eastern Shore, and western Tidewater.
- Build infrastructure by providing equipment, including increasing cold storage capacity.
- Increase distribution of prepared meals, fresh produce, and lean proteins.
- Help more of our neighbors transform their lives through wraparound services.
The Time is Now
There continues to be more need than we can meet. And it’s not dwindling. Now is the time for the Foodbank to relocate and devote our energy to both feeding the line and ending the line. Meeting these intertwined goals will brighten the future for the communities we serve. The Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore is prepared to do the work. But we need your help. A child shouldn’t be too hungry to learn, a senior shouldn’t lack vital nutrition, and no person should be forced to choose between food and housing. These are our neighbors, our veterans – fellow Virginians. With your support, we will build a modern food bank worthy of them and our community.
For more information, contact our
Chief Development Officer at (757) 314-4560.