In Georgia, the Department of Community Affairs has allocated nearly $18 million to Second Harvest Food Bank.
It serves 26 counties in South Georgia. The pandemic led to a substantial increase in work load, resulting in a desperate need for expansion.
Second Harvest of South Georgia's Chief Marketing Officer, Eliza McCall, said, "This is a once in a lifetime investment.". She added, "This building cannot handle the level of response that has been required of us from our community and region in recent years.".
Slaughter has seen first-hand how much money is needed in his community and says it's a no brainer.
Having a place where people can go to get food, that they can put in their pantries, so they'll be able to feed their families in a tough environment in some cases, is critically important," Slaughter said.
Second Harvest reports that only 6% of national funds get to rural Georgia, and food banks get even less.
McCall explained, "Funds and volunteers are always needed. "But the COVID-19 problem has become much bigger because volunteers aren't returning and so we are paying for labor to help with things like building boxes to distribute."
These funds will help solve some of these issues, allowing them to develop more programs and reach more families.
Currently, construction of the new facility is being planned for this fall.
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