The Food Bank of Delaware officially cut the ribbon on its new 70,000-square-foot, $34 million facility in Milford Jan. 15.

The opening of the building was the conclusion of a three-year process for the Food Bank, which also has a facility in Newark. The new facility, located across from Greater Milford Boys & Girls Club, is almost triple the size of the Food Bank’s old facility. 

Among the new features are increased warehouse and cold storage space, a food pantry, a volunteer room for workers to pack and sort donations, classroom and meeting space, garden space to grow fresh foods and an on-site café that will also serve as a culinary training program. 

Food Bank President and CEO Cathy Kanefsky said, “This facility represents more than just a building. It embodies our collective commitment of service to others with respect and dignity. This building symbolizes hope for so many. The project has been years in the making, and there are so many who unite with us to make this vision a reality.”

U.S. Sen. Tom Carper attended the ribbon cutting. “This is a day to celebrate,” he said. “This is a glorious, glorious day.”

Among the many donors to the project, Delaware’s congressional delegation allocated $7 million for the project through the American Rescue Plan Act. 

“There are a number of reasons we want to make sure people have food to eat,” Carper said. “We have a moral responsibility to do that. We have a spiritual responsibility to do that.”

Upon opening the new facility, Kanefsky broke the news that Perdue Farms was delivering the first donation: more than 83,000 pounds of chicken, encompassing two truckloads.

“Think about all the lives we will change,” Kanefsky said. “We don’t just provide food; we provide hope for a better tomorrow. This building is a testament to that vision. It will allow us to not only distribute food, but also help our neighbors to find long-term economic stability through job skills training, financial coaching and more.”