Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - It was a milestone day for FeedMore WNY on Friday, as the organization officially broke ground for its new, unified headquarters along Camp Road in Hamburg.
FeedMore WNY’s unified headquarters will be a 197,700-square-foot facility that will nearly double the size of its existing warehouse space, more than double its commercial kitchen capacity, increase classroom and training spaces for its free Readying Individuals for Success and Employment (RISE) workforce development program, add dedicated clean rooms to repack donated pet and human food, and include additional growing spaces to provide more fresh produce to the community.
Working with Trautman Associates, Buffalo Construction Consultants, Uniland Development Company and numerous subcontractors for the new campus construction, FeedMore WNY expects this project to take approximately two years to complete, with an anticipated move in to its permanent home in late 2026.
Funding for FeedMore WNY’s new campus has been made possible through a variety of private and public commitments.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Western New York State Delegation supported FeedMore WNY’s Capital Campaign with a $24 million grant through Empire State Development.
Leaders in Washington, including U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Nick Langworthy (R, NY-23), and former Congressman Chris Jacobs secured $5 million in congressionally directed federal funding.
FeedMore WNY also received $5 million from the New York Power Authority through the WNY Power Proceeds Allocation Board, $3 million from the Erie County, and $250,000 from State Assemblyman Jonathan Rivera through a Community Capital Assistance Grant.
In addition, FeedMore WNY received seven-figure donations from The Surdam Family Foundation, Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, Delaware North, Rich Family Foundation and the David and Joan Rogers Family Foundation.
"We are deeply grateful to all of our donors, volunteers and community partners who are so integral to our mission and whose support has made today’s milestone possible," said Tara A. Ellis, President and CEO of FeedMore WNY during Friday's groundbreaking ceremony. "At FeedMore WNY, we are honored to assist individuals and families of all ages experiencing food insecurity. We work tirelessly to provide nutritious food, friendship and skills training to our neighbors in need so that we can feed the line of those who need food assistance, and ultimately shorten the line by tackling root causes of food insecurity. We look forward to our permanent home and this next great chapter as a regional safety net."
The total project cost is not to exceed $107.2 million; to date, $80.4 million has been raised for the capital campaign.
FeedMore WNY’s new campus is located in the approximate geographic center of its service area of Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties.
The model of operation for FeedMore WNY is to bring its services directly to clients, which makes the central location of its new headquarters ideal for this distribution method.
The new home for FeedMore WNY will also address FeedMore WNY’s current capacity crisis. With the rapid growth of program participants and increased demand for services, FeedMore WNY is renting and borrowing nearly 30,000 square feet of freezer, cooler and dry storage space to maintain its operations.
More information on FeedMore WNY’s new campus, including a link to donate, can be found at https://www.feedmorewny.org/capital-campaign-new-home/.