Food Share of Lincoln County has outgrown its existing space and has purchased the Dairy Fresh Building in Newport on 55th Street. It is 12,000 square feet (we currently have less than 5,000) and has an indoor loading dock which will allow our warehouse staff and delivery drivers to load and unload product out of inclement weather.
The building, however, needs major renovation work, including a new roof. Our current estimation of expenses is $3 million. We received $530,000 in funding from the state of Oregon to help us purchase the building, and we will be writing grants to various grantors, but we also need support from our community.
We currently cannot accept our full allocation of statewide food due to space limitations and, at times, have to turn away food donated from grocery stores for the same reasons. The new space will allow us to store more dry goods and receive more perishable items, such as fresh produce, meat, and dairy.
In addition to having more storage and refrigeration, we plan to install a commercial kitchen where cooking classes will be taught to low-income families and individuals. We also plan to offer the kitchen to small businesses that want to produce food items for sale. The pricing will be sliding scale, so its use will be affordable to all.
Food Share of Lincoln County has been serving the county since 1982 and has done its best to grow with the needs of the community. It is now time to take the next step, and we hope the community will help to support us in this endeavor.