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Plant City food bank gives thanks for donation, larger quarters

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By GEORGE WILKENS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 30, 2009

PLANT CITY - The United Food Bank of Plant City has two reasons to celebrate.

On June 22, it received its largest donation to date, $30,000, from Albertsons, a national grocer with a large distribution center on Park Road.

A week later, the food bank moved into a new, more spacious location.

Empty shelves at the 2,800-square-foot building will be easier to fill, thanks to the donation, food bank Executive Director Kelleigh Klein said.

Klein accepted the donation at a ceremony at food bank's new location, 702 E. Alsobrook St., Suite H.

The new office is in the same business plaza as the old one east of Collins Street but "we've got almost 1,000 square feet of additional space," Klein said. "Our goal is to get out of boxes, which is what we were basically storing everything in before."

The check was presented by Rick Bunnell, vice president at the grocer's Plant City distribution center. Bunnell, a food bank board member since the organization was founded a decade ago, is currently second vice chair.

"This is the single-largest check we've ever received at the food bank," Bunnell said. The organization receives United Way funding, but the previously largest single donation to the food bank was $10,000, he said.

Giving to the communities in which it operates is one of Albertsons' core values. "Being part of the grocery industry, we feel that one of the best ways we can give back is by supporting hunger relief," Bunnell said.

It's not just about handing out food. The organization focuses on helping needy individuals move from a state of hunger to becoming self-sufficient, honing job skills and other self-improvement, he said.

The nonprofit also supports the Summer Nutrition Outreach Program that provides breakfast and lunch meals to children who are on federally funded or reduced-cost lunch programs when school is in session, Bunnell added.

The food bank is on target to provide those meals for approximately 2,800 children this summer, a 41 percent increase from 2007, figures show.

The new location, which started receiving clients June 29, is outfitted with grocery shelves, also donated by Albertsons.
The shelving will simplify things. "It will make it a lot easier for the volunteers to pull products and keep inventory of what we have," Klein said.

In 2008, United Food Bank of Plant City served 12,848 clients, proving groceries valued at $382,000, a 36 percent increase from the 7,878 served the previous year.

To be eligible for assistance, clients must have a referral from the state Department of Children and Families, Neighborhood Service Center, local churches, local schools, South Florida Baptist Hospital, The Spring of Tampa Bay or similar agency.

Food bank officials have talked about building a headquarters of their own but have put those plans on hold due to the economic downtown, Klein said.

Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 627-4769.

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