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Visitors to the Food Bank of Lincoln tour the 40,000-square-foot warehouse at the nonprofit's new facility at 1221 Kingbird Road on Thursday.
Attendees of a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Food Bank of Lincoln visit in the new facility's 40,000-square-foot warehouse on Thursday.
The Food Bank of Lincoln's new facility includes a 40,000-square-foot warehouse at 1221 Kingbird Road on Thursday.
Michaella Kumke, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Lincoln, speaks at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the nonprofit's new facility at 1221 Kingbird Road on Thursday.
Visitors to the Food Bank of Lincoln tour the larger common spaces, including the break room, at the nonprofit's new facility at 1221 Kingbird Road on Thursday.
Michaella Kumke, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Lincoln, speaks at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the nonprofit's new facility at 1221 Kingbird Road on Thursday.
The blue shirts led lines of visitors through pallets stacked with cans of Chicken of the Sea tuna, boxes of Frosted Flakes and ready-to-go bags of assorted groceries.
Overhead, industrial ceiling fans with helicopter-like blades whirled while bright skylights illuminate the expansive warehouse at the Food Bank of Lincoln's new headquarters in northwest Lincoln, where tours — led by Food Bank staff — were underway.
"It's amazing," Laura Bell, the owner of Commercial Realty, remarked in front of one of the nine docks through which millions of pounds of food will arrive in the years to come.
"It's unbelievable," said former Food Bank CEO Scott Young on another tour through some offices. "We marvel about it, and we should."
Indeed, there was much marveling to be had on a day the community celebrated the completion of the Food Bank's new 60,000-square-foot office building and warehouse at 1221 Kingbird Road in a ribbon-cutting attended by Food Bank staff, city officials and those who donated to the more than $10.3 million project.
The two-story, tan-colored building — featuring a large glass entrance — commands 7 acres of land adjacent to the busy streets that border the Lincoln Airport, a far cry from the Food Bank's isolated location near 48th and Superior streets.
The facility serves primarily as a distribution center where food purchased nationally and donated locally is briefly stored and shipped to sites in Lincoln and 16 counties in Southeast Nebraska.
"From this big, beautiful new building — 60,000 square feet of meaningful, purposeful space — we will be able to serve more food, get meals to those who need it, connect neighbors to resources and shorten the lines," said Steph Ledbetter, president of the Food Bank board of directors.
Last year, the Food Bank handed out more than 13 million meals (equaling 14 million pounds in food), up from 11 million the year before. During the pandemic, the organization's distribution sites — like a popular one at a former Perkins and at schools over the summer — became saving graces for those suddenly facing food insecurity.
In Southeast Nebraska alone, there are 57,000 people who face food insecurity. To them, Food Bank President and CEO Michaella Kumke said, food has turned into a combination of questions: Is there any? Is there enough?
"This facility and every thoughtful element involved in making it a reality brings us one step closer to helping answer some of those questions," Kumke said.
The spiffy new warehouse — named the Scott Young Hunger Solutions Center — features nearly three times more freezer and cooler space. There are nine docks, including three dedicated for semis, that will alleviate traffic jams that plagued the old spot, where there were only four docks total.
"We used to have semis waiting to unload," said John Mabry, vice president of fundraising and engagement.
The skylight system in the warehouse provides energy-efficient, natural lighting, while south-facing office windows let in plenty of sunlight.
All 30 of the Food Bank's employees — who moved in in early May — have their own designated workstation, while volunteers have dedicated spaces to sort through donations and package food. There are also spacious break rooms and conference spaces with inviting green-and-white walls.
A capital campaign that kicked off in the fall of 2019 raised more than $10 million from 1,660 donors to fund the land purchase and design and construction, led by Sinclair Hille Architects and BIC Construction.
Marilyn Moore, a former longtime associate superintendent at Lincoln Public Schools, spearheaded the fundraising charge as committee chair for the Raising our Response to Hunger campaign.
To raise millions of dollars from more than 1,600 donors is extraordinary at any time, Moore said, but it was especially so in a pandemic framed by economic uncertainty.
"And yet, it's sadly those forces that illustrate the need for this building and this organization," she said.
The Food Bank touches many families through its Backpack Program, which sends food home with students in Lincoln and surrounding towns. Board of Education member Kathy Danek saw firsthand the need for space just by the demand.
"They needed this space so badly," Danek said during a tour. "This is truly the greatest gift we could give our community."
The grand opening drew many from the community: city council members, Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird, Chamber of Commerce President Jason Ball.
While it was a moment to celebrate, the ribbon-cutting was also a time to look forward.
"This building represents more than what the Food Bank of Lincoln has done in the last 40 years," said Ledbetter. "It truly represents what the Food Bank of Lincoln will do in the decades to come."
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Contact the writer at zhammack@journalstar.com or 402-473-7225. On Twitter @HammackLJS
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Zach Hammack, a 2018 UNL graduate, has always called Lincoln home. He previously worked as a copy editor at the Journal Star and was a reporting intern in 2017. Now, he covers students, teachers and schools as the newspaper’s K-12 reporter.
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In a surprise announcement at Tuesday night's Lincoln Board of Education meeting, board members told the retiring superintendent they intend to rename the building after him.
Visitors to the Food Bank of Lincoln tour the 40,000-square-foot warehouse at the nonprofit's new facility at 1221 Kingbird Road on Thursday.
Attendees of a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Food Bank of Lincoln visit in the new facility's 40,000-square-foot warehouse on Thursday.
The Food Bank of Lincoln's new facility includes a 40,000-square-foot warehouse at 1221 Kingbird Road on Thursday.
Michaella Kumke, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Lincoln, speaks at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the nonprofit's new facility at 1221 Kingbird Road on Thursday.
Visitors to the Food Bank of Lincoln tour the larger common spaces, including the break room, at the nonprofit's new facility at 1221 Kingbird Road on Thursday.
Michaella Kumke, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Lincoln, speaks at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the nonprofit's new facility at 1221 Kingbird Road on Thursday.
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