NeighborImpact, a nonprofit offering food assistance, energy assistance and emergency housing to people in need, celebrated its 40th anniversary January 24 and held a grand opening for its new food warehouse in Redmond. The organization’s new building, housing a wide variety of food products for those in need, will help the nonprofit keep up with growing demand.
NeighborImpact offers one of the largest food assistance programs in Central Oregon, with its food bank and mobile pantry system distributing meals to Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.
In June, the food bank was serving around 70,000 individuals every month through its network of food pantries and meal sites, according to Jordan Reeher, food program manager at NeighborImpact. But, according to Reeher, the organization had outgrown its previous warehouse, noticing an increase in the number of individuals utilizing its food resources following the Covid-19 pandemic.
The new 10,000-square-foot warehouse will offer more space for the organization to store food supplies. The previous warehouse was 4,000 square-feet and had a 300-square-foot cooler.
The new building size, including its over 1,000-square-feet cooler, allows NeighborImpact to accept more products, serve more people and have a safer, more streamlined process of accessing and distributing food, according to staff member Chelsea Schwab.
In addition to its size, the warehouse has several dedicated loading docks to make loading trucks easier for distribution.
“The opening of the new food bank warehouse marks a significant milestone in our efforts to reduce food insecurity and strengthen our community. This new facility will enhance our ability to store and distribute fresh, nutritious food to our neighbors in need,” NeighorImpact wrote in a press release.
This article appears in The Source Weekly January 23, 2025.
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