The Chattanooga Area Food Bank has received a $100,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia’s COVID-19 Relief Fund to expand operations in nine Northwest Georgia counties.
The Food Bank is partnering with Whitfield County and the Dalton-Whitfield Joint Development Authority for the purchase, renovation, and expansion of their NWGA facility. This $3.1 million project will help the Food Bank to meet the needs of more than 64,000 NWGA neighbors facing hunger by providing better access to fresh and healthy food options like produce and dairy, create a more customized distribution experience, and expand operations.
”Throughout the last 2 years, the Food Bank’s Northwest Georgia location has provided consistent support to the communities of Northwest Georgia,” says David Aft, President of the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia. "Its work has played a central role in our region’s ability to respond to immediate human needs and do so in an efficient and effective way. They have further demonstrated that they fulfill a critical role in our humanitarian response system. We see the Food Bank’s purchase and expansion of their Dalton facility as a key component to our region’s disaster readiness strategy."
The Food Bank works with over 80 community partners in Northwest Georgia, providing 118 programs that serve families in need of food assistance. Last year, the Food Bank, along with community partners, distributed 6,357,778 pounds of groceries in NWGA.
“When we established the COVID-19 Relief Fund in early 2020, we made a commitment to utilize the contributions made to it in a way that yielded the highest return on our investment," explains Aft. "With this in mind, the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia’s COVID-19 Relief Fund will make a $100,000 grant to the Chattanooga Food Bank, earmarking its gift to the organization’s expansion in Northwest Georgia. We are proud to join with so many others who have understood how valuable the Food Bank is and the important role it plays in times of crisis – they remain a trusted and effective service partner and we are pleased to help”.