Greater Boston Food Bank Kicks-off "Feeding Hunger, Feeding Hope" Campaign

Campaign for new distribution center anchored by $3 million Yawkey Foundation grant

The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) recently launched the public phase of a capital campaign to raise $30 million to purchase land and build a 96,000-square-foot distribution center to feed the growing number of hungry people in eastern Massachusetts. A longtime GBFB supporter, the Yawkey Foundation pledged a $3 million grant for the project.

"We are now feeding 320,000 people a yearóthat's a 14 percent increase since 2001 and nearly double the number we were feeding in 1997. Unfortunately, we do not see this trend reversing," said Catherine D'Amato, president and CEO of The Greater Boston Food Bank. "We are very grateful to the Yawkey Foundation and our other generous donors who recognize that it is critical for us to increase our capacity to feed the hungry in our community by updating and expanding our facilities."

Named the Yawkey Distribution Center, the new facility will allow the GBFB to double its current distribution of nearly 26 million pounds of food per year to more than 600 partner hunger-relief agencies, while also maximizing its capacity to properly store, refrigerate and distribute high quality, nutritious food.

For more information about The Greater Boston Food Bank, please visit http://www.gbfb.org.