HAMPDEN, Maine — The Good Shepherd Food Bank will be officially opening it's new distribution Center in Hampden on Thursday.
The food bank has been renovating a former newspaper processing facility to create a facility capable of providing meals to all food-insecure Mainers by 2025.
This $5 million dollar project will allow for better statewide service to food insecure families and food pantries. It will accompany a similar Good Shepherd facility in Auburn.
The new facility is home to three state-of-the-art temperature and humidity controlled cold storage units that will allow for year-round distribution of fresh food and expanding the Food Bank’s capacity to use more fresh produce. Much of that produce will be locally grown and purchased from Maine farmers.
"We're so excited to be here today, this really is a significant milestone in the food bank's history," said Good Shepherd Food Bank President Kristin Miale. "To be able to have such a larger presence in the greater in the greater Bangor community so that we can be better, stronger partners for central, northern, and downeast Maine."
The cold storage unit also includes freezer space made to store lightly processed local produce and seafood, as well as meat, dairy, and other perishable products.
The building also includes a dry storage space for items, as well as areas for sorting, inspecting, packing, and distributing food.
Good Shepherd Food Bank officials say that there were more than 900 donors who helped contribute to the funding for this facility.
This new space will allow the food bank to try to reach it's goal of having all food insecure Mainers with access to food. That will be made possible by a partnership with 400 distributors across the state.
