Community West Foundation Grantee Spotlight: Greater Cleveland Food Bank

Board members, staff and guests from Community West Foundation visited the Greater Cleveland Food Bank’s new 200,000 square foot facility.

Community West Foundation board members, staff and guests took a trip out to Greater Cleveland Food Bank to tour their new 200,000 square foot facility that opened late last year.

The group also rolled up their sleeves and spent two-hours packing boxes with food for their senior outreach program. In that timeframe, they packed 400 boxes and over 14,000 pounds of food.

President and CEO of Greater Cleveland Food Bank, Kristin Warzocha, greeted and presented to the group. She spoke about the rising need for food resources in Cleveland and how the Food Bank plans to address the demand through their expanded facility.

: Marty Uhle, President and CEO of Community West Foundation and Kristin Warzocha, President and CEO of Greater Cleveland Food Bank

: Marty Uhle (center) with Community West Board Members George Miller and Rev. Jon Fancher

The massive building is remarkable and every last detail was thought through. Kristin spoke about how their larger cold and freezer storage enables them to provide more nutritious foods to their clients because the product will keep longer in cooler temperatures.

She also spoke about their plans to convert their old building, located on S. Waterloo Road, into a community center that includes a ‘client choice’ food pantry that will be set up like a grocery store. The pantry will be open in the evenings and on weekends to accommodate individuals and families that work full time. The center will have a nutritionist available to help guide clients on selecting and cooking healthy foods.

Greater Cleveland Food Bank has over 1,000 partner organizations that they provide food to on a regular basis including local food pantries, shelters, schools and more. Last year alone, the Food Bank and their partners provided services to nearly 350,000 people.

Community West Foundation’s largest grant annually is to the Food Bank and they have been a steadfast supporter of their mission for fourteen consecutive years. To learn more about this Community West Foundation Grantee, visit www.greaterclevelandfoodbank.org.