Thanks to the efforts of Whitfield County government officials, the Chattanooga Area Food Bank will soon be able to expand its operations in Northwest Georgia.
Whitfield staff members Debbie Godfrey and Carol Roberts recently partnered with the food bank in applying for and ultimately receiving a $2.35 million Community Development Block Grant – Coronavirus from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
For years, the food bank has distributed food to its Northwest Georgia partners through a warehouse leased in Dalton on South Hamilton Street. The grant will allow the organization to purchase the building, make renovations, and expand operations in Northwest Georgia, with construction required to be completed by Dec. 31, 2023.
“We are very, very excited to receive this grant,” said Melanie Hammontree, director of development for the food bank, “and appreciate the support of county officials during the application process.”
Earlier this year, the Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 to accept the grant, and the county will now be responsible for dispersing the funds. The Joint Development Authority is also helping with the project.
“We are very happy to partner with the food bank on this project, which will allow them to better serve the residents of Whitfield County and all of Northwest Georgia,” County Commission Chairman Jevin Jensen said.
Hammontree says 64,970 individuals are termed “food insecure” in the nine Northwest Georgia counties served by the food bank, according to statistics from Feeding America.
Serving residents in Whitfield, Murray, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Fannin, Gilmer, Gordon, and Walker counties, the food bank - with the help of its 83 partner agencies and churches, including 38 in Whitfield County - distributed 6.4 million pounds of groceries through 118 programs that serve families struggling with hunger last year, according to Hammontree.
She said the food bank has already made “good headway” in raising the required $785,000 in matching funds for the grant, and Hammontree encourages anyone who would like to make a donation or receive more information about the Chattanooga food bank to contact her at mhammontree@chattfoodbank.org.
According to Hammontree, the improvements will allow the food bank to increase capacity for refrigerated and freezer storage for perishables and frozen products, negating the need for a storage trailer outside the building now. Because of space limitations in the trailer, some food donations have had to be turned away in the past.
The grant will also provide an increase in dry storage space to 9,600 square feet from 7,600, three new dock doors for improved shipping and receiving, and space for volunteers and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) outreach.
The improvements will allow the food bank to “provide better access to fresh and healthy food options like produce and dairy, provide better food stability with a more customized distribution experience, and expand operations to increase community engagement in the fight against hunger,” Hammontree said.
The CBDG-CV program originated from the CARES Act of 2020, enacted to provide relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and allow states to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to” the COVID-19 pandemic and similar emergencies in the future through funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In total, Georgia received $82.8 million from HUD for the CBDG-CV program, including the $2,353,872 allocated for the Chattanooga Area Food Bank as well as funding for nine other food bank projects around the state.