SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) — Second Harvest of the Big Bend has officially opened its new Impact Center, a 28,000-square-foot facility designed to expand food storage, volunteer capacity and community service across the region.
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The organization distributes 18 million pounds of food annually across 16 counties in the Big Bend area.
CEO Jacob Reiter said the new center gives the organization more room to store food and accommodate more volunteers.
"That means more hands packing food, more food being sorted, more meals for families in need," Reiter said.
The new Impact Center features an expanded volunteer space, upgraded administrative offices, a training kitchen, conference rooms and meeting spaces.
Total costs come to about $16 million, with $3 million designated for a second phase that will include a production kitchen.
Of the total funding, $13 million came from community donations, $3 million of which was an endowment.
The remaining $3 million goes toward construction of the production kitchen, set to begin this fall.
On Thursday, the facility hosted at least 40 volunteers at one time.
Lead Volunteer Lori Holcomb, who has been volunteering with Second Harvest since 2020,
said the new space is already making a difference.
"It's beautiful. It's very inviting. We have the space we need to be able to do what we need to do without, you know, having to worry about bumping into people or things, so it's just fantastic," Holcomb said. “I think with the newer space, we'll be able to do more, which means getting more food out to the community.”
Second Harvest said its original facility will continue to serve a purpose as a cooler for produce and other food items.
The organization is also encouraging community members to come out and volunteer.
Volunteers can sign up by visiting their website here.
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