Harry Chapin Food Bank is embarking on the most ambitious expansion in its 42-year history, unveiling plans for a Hunger Action Center that leaders said will reshape how Southwest Florida confronts rising food insecurity.<\/p>\n
The new facility, a 110,175-square-foot warehouse and distribution hub planned for Fort Myers, is designed to meet a rapidly growing need that has deepened in the wake of hurricanes, inflation and lingering economic disruption.<\/p>\n
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A rendering of the future Hunger Action Center shows the 110,175-square-foot facility planned at Interstate 75 and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Fort Myers. The project is funded through the food bank\u2019s $30 million Feeding the Future capital campaign.<\/p>\n
Harry Chapin Food Bank<\/p>\n
More than 125 community leaders, donors and public officials gathered Nov. 19 as the nonprofit formally announced the project and transitioned its $30 million capital campaign, Feeding the Future, into its public phase. Half of the goal has already been raised, and the organization is relying on broad community support to complete the campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cConstruction of our new Hunger Action Center marks a transformational step forward for Harry Chapin Food Bank,\u201d said Richard LeBer, the organization\u2019s president and CEO. \u201cAs our region grows, so does the need. This modern, purpose-built facility will expand our capacity, strengthen our operations and help us reach more children, families, seniors and veterans than ever before. It\u2019s an investment in the future of Southwest Florida, and in every neighbor who depends on us.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Community leaders, donors and officials participate in the groundbreaking for Harry Chapin Food Bank\u2019s new Hunger Action Center in Fort Myers. The 110,175-square-foot facility is scheduled for completion in fall 2026.<\/p>\n
Harry Chapin Food Bank<\/p>\n
The food bank currently serves about 300,000 people each year through a network of up to 175 partner agencies. In 2024, it distributed 39.5 million pounds of food, a figure projected to climb to 50 million pounds by 2030 and to double again by 2050. LeBer said the increase is driven in part by the \u201cnew hungry,\u201d people who are employed but struggling to keep up with the cost of living. \u201cThey are hospitality and tourism workers, health care professionals, first responders and educators \u2013 essentially, the people who keep our community running,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The new center at Interstate 75 and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, will more than double the size of the food bank\u2019s existing Lee County warehouse and supplement its distribution operations in Naples. It will feature expanded storage for dry, chilled and frozen foods, 10 truck bays for incoming and outgoing deliveries and a computerized barcode system to track inventory in real time. Plans also include a community food pantry, a feature not possible at the current warehouse, as well as meeting rooms for nutrition and budgeting classes and air-conditioned spaces for staff and volunteers.<\/p>\n
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The Hunger Action Center will include expanded dry, refrigerated and frozen food storage, along with a computerized inventory system to track supplies in real time. The new warehouse will more than double the food bank\u2019s capacity in Lee County.<\/p>\n
Harry Chapin Food Bank<\/p>\n
Major support for the project includes gifts from The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation and Lipman Family Farms. \u201cHarry Chapin\u2019s humanitarian work was founded on the idea that \u2018to know is to care, to care is to act, to act is to make a difference,\u2019\u201d said Ann Prifrel, the food bank\u2019s chief development officer. Jaime Weisinger, of Lipman Family Farms, added that the effort aligns with the company\u2019s longstanding commitment to expanding access to fresh, healthy food.<\/p>\n
Site clearing began this summer, with construction scheduled through fall 2026.<\/p>\n