Nebraska
Nebraska food bank announces $37M building and relocation plan to help meet 'unforeseen' demand • Nebraska Examiner
OMAHA — Rising demand for food assistance across the 93 counties it serves has pushed the Food Bank for the Heartland to extraordinary measures, including leasing refrigerated trailers to store food in the parking lot.
Volunteers and semitrailer truck drivers that visit the Omaha-based nonprofit often jam the road leading into its current headquarters.
Meanwhile, increased food costs and an end to many pandemic-era government assistance programs have created “disruption” that officials said they’ve not seen in the food bank’s 42-year history.
To help meet growing needs, the food bank on Sunday publicly announced a $37 million plan to build a new office and warehouse complex at a larger, 12-acre campus at the northeast corner of 84th and L Streets in Omaha.
40% larger
Representatives were joined by Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert in publicly unveiling renderings and other details of the 105,000-square-foot facility, which is about 40% larger than the current home.
Parking stalls will nearly double in number, for a new total of about 170 spots at the new base that for more than a half-century had been home to a car dealership.
“Our project is going to transform 84th and L,” said CEO and president Brian Barks. “It’s going to transform the way we do business and the way we are able to serve the community — with an emphasis on healthy foods.”
While planning began in 2020, the nonprofit’s governing board chose to delay the building and relocation announcement until it secured 60% of the $27 million it hopes to raise in philanthropic donations, Barks said. About $10 million is to come internally and from the sale of the existing building at 10525 J St.
The nonprofit continues to seek community contributions for the capital campaign.
Demolition and construction work is to kick off this summer, according to a project timeline, and the projected move-in is in 2026.
Food bank officials say the milestone comes as Nebraskans’ demand for food assistance grows.
Paul Maass, CEO of Scoular, said his involvement with the food bank has shown him that a lack of healthy food is widespread.
“For many, hunger is a hidden issue,” he told the dozens of supporters gathered Sunday under a large tent on the future food bank grounds. “But it is happening all around us, every moment of every day. I learned this is not an urban, rural or suburban problem. Hunger is a problem everywhere.”
26.7 million pounds of food last year
With a reach of 78,000 square miles across 77 Nebraska counties and 16 western Iowa counties, the food bank works with 555 network partners to distribute food items to those in need.
Last year, the network distributed more than 26.7 million pounds of food.
According to the organization’s projections, it will serve 600,548 households this fiscal year. That’s up from nearly 572,000 households a year earlier and about 313,000 five years ago.
Looking at demand from an individual standpoint, the food bank foresees serving 1.62 million persons this fiscal year, up from 1.52 million during the year prior and 843,000 in 2019.
Shedding light on demand, Barks said that Nebraskans have faced increased hardship since the government shutdown in December 2018.
“It’s going to transform the way we do business and the way we are able to serve the community — with an emphasis on healthy foods.”
– Brian Barks, CEO and president of Food Bank for the Heartland
Historic floods followed in March 2019, displacing thousands of people, including some who continue to rebuild.
COVID-19 led to an 89% increase in the number of meals distributed by the food bank. People who lost jobs during the pandemic tapped savings and amassed debt.
“Inflation and the lingering effects of pandemic continue to make hunger a daily reality throughout our communities,” the food bank said in its capital campaign statement. “With skyrocketing food prices, too many of our neighbors are forced to make impossible choices among items needed to survive and thrive — such as paying for food, medicine, utilities, or childcare.”
Pandemic highlight
The agency noted a highlight of its response to the pandemic. During that time, the food bank developed a small USDA-certified “Clean Room,” which accepts and processes bulk donations of nutrient-rich proteins.
Representatives said that the program has been successful, but building it took space away from the Volunteer Center.
The new facility is to include a larger Clean Room to process proteins.
Among other features:
- Increased storage capacity for cold and frozen food items; separate areas for loading and unloading operations.
- Increased space for volunteer groups and for staff collaboration.
- Easy access to main roads and the Interstate system.
Records show the sprawling corner property sold to the Food Bank for $7.1 million.
H&H Chevrolet, which reportedly had been at the site since 1968, moved last year to a larger area at the Steel Ridge development in Sarpy County.
Barks said the food bank visited multiple sites and considered other options, including renovation. He said clearing the 84th and L Streets site and building anew was more economical.
He said if people knew how the staff has managed to increase output in the current facility, they’d be even more impressed. He called the level of demand “unforeseen.”
“It has been an arduous journey,” Barks said. “To get to this point is everything from a relief to joy to thrill all wrapped into one.”
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KEARNEY, Neb. (KOLN) – Nebraska’s auctioneers battled on stage at the 43rd annual Bid-Calling/Ringman competition in Kearney. The event, organized by the Nebraska Auctioneers Association, was held in conjunction with the 78th annual Nebraska Auctioneers Association Convention, which ran from April 23-25.
Nebraska is known in the auctioneering industry for producing many national and world champions.
Weston Hottell, 17, from Kimball, competed against other auctioneers at the contest.
“As a kid in Nebraska, there’s not much to do, so you spend enough time around sale barns and I’ve always liked to talk, figured I might as well get paid to do it,” Hottell said.
After going to school to become an auctioneer, Hottell opened his own auction company, Hottell Auctions, last September.
Brant Pavel, an auctioneer from Chambers, said Nebraska has a strong reputation in the industry.
“I believe at one point, Nebraska had the most world champion auctioneers of any state,” Pavel said.
Clay Schaardt, vice president of the Nebraska Auctioneers Association, said competitors are judged on multiple criteria.
“The auction competitors are judged on speed, rhythm, and clarity of their chant. They’re also judged on their appearance,” Schaardt said.
The competition featured five bid-calling participants and 12 ringman participants.
During the first round, the crowd bids from the seats and watches the auctioneers provide two items to sell. The association provides the third item. After the top 10 are selected, the rest are sequestered while they each answer two questions about auctioneering.
William Yokel, an auctioneer from Friend, said the interview portion is critical. One of the questions was, “In your opinion, what is the difference between a good auctioneer and a great one?”
In response, Yokel said, “integrity” makes all the difference.
“Doing the auction chant, only 5% of the job. And the other 95%, it’s, do you know what item you’re selling? Do you know who you’re working for?” Yokel said.
After the interview portion, Pavel said the ringman competition adds to the experience.
“It makes you want to bid again when somebody looks at you and say, you’re out. Peer pressure, it gets you, it gets me,” Pavel said.
Schaardt said this sense of urgency is felt more intensely during live auctions.
“There are a lot of online auctions and more and more the online auction world has really taken off. And I would say a lot of our members use online auctions,” Schaardt said.
But Schaardt said the traditional auction format still has value.
“For example, there’s a lot of emotion connected to real estate and you cannot- you really can’t get that emotion out, you know, if you’re doing it online only,” Schaardt said.
At the end of the competition, Hottell was crowned rookie of the year, Pavel won the ringman competition and Yokel won the bid-calling contest.
“The auction chant made me smile and I just said to myself one day that I’m going to make people smile just like they did to me and here we are,” Yokel said.
Kaden Schow of Schow Auction Service/Schow Realty in Paxton was named reserve champion auctioneer. Jace McKay of JW Auctions in Ericson was named runner-up auctioneer.
The top 10 finalists were Mike Harris, Westen Hottell, Jace McKay, Jacob Ogan, Clay Patton, Brant Pavel, Randall Pelster, Jim Pursell, Kaden Schow and William Yokel.
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Former University of Nebraska President Ted Carter tried to get a job at NU for a woman he later admitted he was having an “inappropriate relationship” with, according to a records request obtained Wednesday by Nebraska Public Media News.
Carter last month resigned from his position as Ohio State University president, which he held since January 2024, because of “an inappropriate relationship with someone seeking public resources to support her personal business.” Carter abruptly left for OSU after leading NU from 2020 to 2023.
Records made available by NU show that in April 2023, Carter requested the same woman, who has been identified as podcaster Krisanthe Vlachos, be considered for a position at the National Strategic Research Institute that operates for the NU system in Omaha. University leaders told Nebraska Public Media News last week that they would review internal records after the OSU report was published.
NU emails show Carter sent Vlachos’ resume to Rick Evans, executive director of the National Strategic Research Institute and a retired major general in the U.S. Air Force. Evans responded, saying “her skills are probably best aligned to the Contracts and Business Operations Coordinator position you approved us to hire.”
He went on to say the position would be based in Omaha, and thanked Carter for the tip. Carter responded that he believed Vlachos “is more than willing to relocate to Omaha.” It’s not known if Vlachos was ever considered for that job or any other one at NU.
Carter also forwarded Vlachos’ resume to a member of the University of Nebraska Foundation on May 10, 2023.
The next time there was email communication between Carter and Vlachos via the university email system was July 2023. It was a quick note from Carter saying, “Sorry to be out of touch for a bit.” He then gave his phone number, which was redacted.
The university said in a statement that it does not see the need for further review.
“The University of Nebraska has reviewed emails and other records potentially relevant to the report released by the Ohio State University earlier this month,” the statement said. “From this review, several emails were discovered and have been shared upon request from media. The university does not see need for further review at this time.”
Carter appeared to have first met Vlachos while at NU during a Veterans in Energy forum in Washington, D.C. in March 2023, the OSU report said. The report further details that while at OSU, Vlachos had “extraordinary access” to Carter, including at least 24 meetings with him and five trips together.
The report also said at least 14 OSU employees received direct requests from Carter to assist Vlachos. One employee who did help was Chris Kabourek, former NU chief financial officer and former NU interim president.
Kabourek had left NU for Ohio State in the fall of 2024. Kabourek resigned earlier this month and has since been hired as vice president and chief financial officer at West Virginia University.
The Lincoln Marathon will bring street closures, parking restrictions and increased activity to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s City Campus this weekend, with events culminating May 3.
Portions of campus will be included in the race route, including start and finish lines, and faculty and staff should expect delays due to runners and spectators.
Closures will begin as early as 10 p.m. May 1 on parts of 14th Street, with additional restrictions May 2-3. Impacts on the morning and afternoon of May 3 will be the most significant.
Faculty and staff are encouraged to plan ahead, allow extra travel time and use alternate routes if coming to campus.
A detailed map and full list of closures is available from Parking and Transit Services.
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