CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Coastal Bend Food Bank is building a new facility that will serve an increasing number of South Texans as the demand for food rises.
Coastal Bend Food Bank Executive Director Bea Hanson said she felt a special feeling seeing the building begin to take shape.
"I am in awe when I stand in the middle of that building and I look around, and it's hard to believe that it's happening," she said.
Hanson said that the new facility is something she has always wanted and that it will help the food bank be more cost efficient.
"It was a dream for so many years-- a need, a tremendous need. 60 percent of our product was outside storage. It was costing us a lot of money, " Hanson said.
The new facility brings more space, sitting at around 108,000 sq. ft. Construction efforts were made possible through the generosity of various individuals and organizations.
"We'd been in emergency mode since the hurricane. Because it's been the pandemic, it's been the freeze, it's now the economy, people are in need. They're trying to make ends meet, but it's not possible," she said.
Hanson said that the possibilities the new facility will bring are endless.
"All this is gonna be classes again. This is the show kitchen, and is where people will be learning how to cook, how to prepare food that is healthy etc. So this is going to be a beautiful show kitchen," she said.
The new facility is now 70 percent complete. Hanson said a soft-open is planned to take place some time in October of this year.
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