The Shasta County Food Bank, run by Dignity Health, is expanding for the first time in its 25 year history. However, they don’t have enough money for the full project and are asking the community for help.

It has always been a tight ship at the food bank, run out of Dignity Health’s Connected Living facility. It shares its building with several other Dignity-run organizations and has had little in the way of storage space. Up until the last month, there’s only been two full-time staff members along with about 100 volunteers, who are mostly elderly.

Currently, it has no walk-in freezer, and the only refrigerated storage it has are refrigerated trucking containers, and a third of a 670-square-foot walk-in fridge. Something that would change with the new expansion.

While its enough to manage most times, there have been emergencies where they’ve been unable to help those affected.

“There are times where we have limited space because of our size, and we’re not able to accept some of those resources,” Stacie Wadley, Director of Operations, says. “And that’s a real shame because we need to be able to participate in our communities restoration and in disaster response.”

Wadley says they’ll be expanding their capacity by over double. With the new expansion including more warehouse space, an over 1,000 square foot walk in freezer, and a welcoming area people will be able to come into to get food when in need.

Especially with the need in the community growing.

“We are seeing an increase in the number of people that are attending distributions, and that’s been the case for the past six months,” Wadley says. “We’ve had a steady rise of about, between nineteen and twenty four percent increase in the number of people that are reaching out for services.”

The expansion is currently being funded by a $1.3 million grant from the state. However Wadley says the full cost for construction is estimated at $1.8 million. Now, they have until the construction is set to finish, in February, to get the remaining $500,000, and they’re asking community partners to help. They’ll be included as one of several non-profits in the area, that people can donate to for The North State’s “Day of Giving”.

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