TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Second Harvest of the Big Bend is celebrating a major milestone in its expansion project. Community leaders say the new Impact Center will be a game-changer in the fight against hunger.
- Second Harvest is building a new impact center, expanding its budget from $10 million to $16 million.
- The center wants to strengthen support for smaller organizations and enhance food distribution capabilities.
- Watch the video below to learn more about the expanded facility and its new spaces.
Second Harvest expands with $16M impact center to fight food insecurity
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Second Harvest of the Big Bend is celebrating a major milestone, growing its budget from $10 million to $16 million to build a new Impact Center.
It took three years to raise the money for this new Impact Center. Now, they are just months away from completion.
For volunteers Ken and Kay Mayo, the new Impact Center is about more than square footage. They say it’s about strengthening the support system for dozens of smaller organizations that rely on Second Harvest to keep their own shelves stocked.
“I think it’s gonna accelerate our abilities to actually serve people in need, and the capacity that Second Harvest will have to actually do more than they’re currently doing is gonna be phenomenal. That’s a win-win,” Ken said.
Tuesday’s milestone marks the topping-off ceremony—a tradition where the final steel beam is raised into place.
Second Harvest leaders say it’s both a celebration of progress and a symbol of the community support that made it possible.
“It’s so easy to understand the need and the important mission that Second Harvest plays in our community. It’s hugely important. This expansion has been supporting our region for over 40 years, and this expansion is setting up Second Harvest for the next 40 years,” Jeremy Cohen, co-chair of the capital campaign for Second Harvest, said.
The investment marks the largest expansion in the nonprofit’s history. It creates space to store fresh food, distribute meals, and create programs to break the growing cycle of hunger.
Leaders say food insecurity in our area has risen 5%. Meanwhile, the amount of food distributed has doubled, climbing from 11 million pounds to 21 million in three years.
“Our new building will be over 27,000 square feet with a 5,000-square-foot volunteer area, so we’ll be able to house more volunteers. Our volunteers are vital to our mission at Second Harvest and to our ability to serve, and so we’re gonna be able to have more volunteers come out, pack food, and ultimately get it out into the community,” Marketing & Communications Specialist Ashleigh Kittrell said.
The final beam will be raised on Wednesday, and Kittrell says the project could be complete by June 2026.
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