FeedMore WNY holds ceremonial groundbreaking for its new, unified campus

FeedMore WNY reached a critical milestone in its mission to alleviate food insecurity and provide dignity, hope and brighter futures for Western New York neighbors in need as it held a ceremonial groundbreaking for its new, unified headquarters on October 25, 2024. The ceremony was held on the property of the future home of FeedMore WNY, located at 4832 Camp Road in Hamburg, and was well-attended by a variety of elected officials, donors and community partners who have been integral to FeedMore WNY’s new mission-critical campus.

FeedMore WNY’s unified headquarters will be a 197,700-square-foot facility that will nearly double the size of its existing warehouse space, more than double its commercial kitchen capacity, increase classroom and training spaces for its free Readying Individuals for Success and Employment (RISE) workforce development program, add dedicated clean rooms to repack donated pet and human food, and include additional growing spaces to provide more fresh produce to the community.

FeedMore WNY is working with Trautman Associates, Buffalo Construction Consultants, Uniland Development Company and numerous subcontractors for the new campus construction, which is expected to take approximately two years to complete. FeedMore WNY anticipates moving into their permanent home in late 2026.

Funding for FeedMore WNY’s new campus is made possible through a variety of private and public commitments. Governor Kathy Hochul and the Western New York State Delegation supported FeedMore WNY’s Capital Campaign with a $24 million grant through Empire State Development. Senator Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Representative Nick Langworthy, and former Representative Chris Jacobs secured $5 million in congressionally directed federal funding. FeedMore WNY also received $5 million from the New York Power Authority through the WNY Power Proceeds Allocation Board, $3 million from the County of Erie, and $250,000 from Assemblyman Jonathan Rivera through a Community Capital Assistance Grant. In addition, FeedMore WNY received seven-figure donations from The Surdam Family Foundation, Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, Delaware North, Rich Family Foundation and the David and Joan Rogers Family Foundation.

“With Western New Yorkers facing increasingly higher food costs, I’m proud to stand alongside Governor Hochul to help ensure thousands of families have access to the healthy, nutritious food they need to thrive. Governor Hochul’s strategic support of FeedMore WNY’s urgently needed new distribution center is driving the project forward and reinforcing New York State’s commitment to ensuring tens of thousands of people will have access to fresh and high-quality food for the long-term,” Hope Knight, Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner, said. “FeedMore WNY is an incredible partner in providing families in our region with the resources they need to succeed, from nutritious food to job training. That’s why I fought to secure $3 million in federal funding for this new facility, and I’m proud to see this project come to fruition with today’s groundbreaking. This new space will allow them to reach even more people, expanding their impact across Western New York and the Southern Tier,” Congressman Nick Langworthy said.

“FeedMore WNY is taking a big step forward with this expansion, a step that will benefit thousands of people around Western New York. The food and support that FeedMore provides touches lives every day in our community and is often the difference between having something to eat or going hungry. To say their services are critical is an understatement, and Erie County is proud to provide funding to assist in this much-needed project, greatly increasing FeedMore’s size and outreach while relocating to a more efficient and centrally located site,” Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz said. “The need for FeedMore’s services and programs is real and is growing, so I thank all who supported this expansion and look forward to its completion.”

“A new centralized facility will allow FeedMore to better address food insecurity among our neighbors and to meet the needs of individuals and families across Western New York for years to come. I thank the many donors and community partners who have joined with federal, state and local governments in making this project a reality. I look forward to coming back for the grand opening in 2026,” NYS Senator Patrick M. Gallivan said.

“FeedMore WNY’s new headquarters in Hamburg will massively enhance the organization’s capacity and strengthen its ability to provide critical support to local food pantries in the event of weather-related emergencies. The move and upgrade arrives at a time when hundreds of thousands of residents across New York are facing hunger and food insecurity, and as our state’s emergency food providers are facing escalating pressures as a result of supply chain struggles. During my time as a state legislator, I’ve been able to pass a state budget that secured $50 million in funding toward the Nourish New York program — $4.5 million of which was directly received by FeedMore WNY. I look forward to continuing a strong partnership with FeedMore as we look to address the root causes of food insecurity and undernourishment,” NYS Assemblymember Jon D. Rivera said.

The total project cost is not to exceed $107.2 million; to date, $80.4 million has been raised for the capital campaign.

“We are thrilled to reach this significant and exciting milestone in the FeedMore WNY Capital Campaign. Today marks a watershed moment in how we care for our neighbors – not just today, but for generations to come. We want to extend our deepest thanks to our elected leaders and all the community partners who have been such passionate champions of this effort,” FeedMore WNY Capital Campaign Co-Chairs Ann McCarthy and Lou Jacobs said. Jacobs is the CEO of Delaware North, as well as a member of the FeedMore WNY Board of Directors.

FeedMore WNY’s new campus is located in the approximate geographic center of its service area of Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties. FeedMore WNY’s model of operation is to bring its services directly to clients, which makes the central location of its new headquarters ideal for this distribution method. The new home for FeedMore WNY will also address FeedMore WNY’s current capacity crisis. With the rapid growth of program participants and increased demand for services, FeedMore WNY is renting and borrowing nearly 30,000 square feet of freezer, cooler and dry storage space to maintain its operations.

“As the need for food assistance continues to grow, FeedMore WNY’s new headquarters will be able to serve food-insecure neighbors today and for generations to come. Today’s groundbreaking ceremony not only represents an investment in FeedMore WNY, but an investment in our entire Western New York community,” Eric Decker, FeedMore WNY Board Chair and Independent Health Senior Vice President, Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, said.

“We are deeply grateful to all of our donors, volunteers and community partners who are so integral to our mission and whose support has made today’s milestone possible,” Tara A. Ellis, President and CEO of FeedMore WNY, said. “At FeedMore WNY, we are honored to assist individuals and families of all ages experiencing food insecurity. We work tirelessly to provide nutritious food, friendship and skills training to our neighbors in need so that we can feed the line of those who need food assistance, and ultimately shorten the line by tackling root causes of food insecurity. We look forward to our permanent home and this next great chapter as a regional safety net.”