VAN BUREN — The Food Bank of Central New York wants to increase storage, reduce waste, and increase capacity with its expansion project.

The organization on June 14 broke ground on a project to expand its distribution facility at 7066 Interstate Island Road in the town of Van Buren.

The nearly 34,000-square-foot expansion will help the nonprofit to provide access to food for people and families facing hunger across its 11-county service area, per the Food Bank’s website.

The expansion will focus on the structure’s west, south, and east ends.

“This momentous occasion marks the future of the Food Bank. We are dedicated, more than ever, to building a hunger-free tomorrow, and this expansion will help us achieve that by increasing our capacity, reducing waste, and increasing storage of nutritious food for neighbors facing hunger,” the Food Bank of Central New York said on its Facebook page.

With the expansion, the Food Bank wants to be able to store an additional 1 million pounds of food so it can “continue to meet the demand” for emergency food assistance throughout the year while focusing on other “hard-to-access” necessities such as hygiene supplies, per its website.

The Food Bank also seeks to use donated, perishable food more quickly, so it does not go to waste.

The organization also aims for a dedicated repack space for staff and volunteers to pack boxes of food for several current programs. At the same time, it’ll allow for an increase in the number and types of boxes of food it distributes while keeping in mind dietary, cultural, and health-related needs, the Food Bank said.

Expansion specifics

The west-end expansion involves 20,800 square feet. It will have new volunteer parking, entrance, and bathrooms with access to the Furman Volunteer Training Room.

It’ll also include two loading docks for straight truck access; cooler for storage of perishable foods with access to freezer; racking on perimeter walls; and dedicated volunteer spaces, per the Food Bank website.

The south-end expansion will involve 6,790 square feet and is “solely dedicated” for dry goods storage and will include a new loading dock, the charitable organization noted.

The east end/office expansion, which involves 6,330 square feet, will have a two-story addition with a new entranceway and closer parking area.

That area will also include additional office spaces to accommodate growing staffing levels and an enlarged staff break room and training rooms. Additionally, plans call for expanding conference rooms and a new truck entrance to “create a safer environment for staff,” the Food Bank said.