Tarrant Area Food Bank unveils new office building
A new office building will allow the Tarrant Area Food Bank to reconfigure its distribution center so it can serve about 16 million meals a year more than it did in fiscal 2015.
The Dorothy and Norman M. Kronick Building at 2525 Cullen St. was unveiled Tuesday during a grand-opening ceremony attended by city, state, community and advocacy leaders. The two-story building will house program and administrative staff members, whose former offices were in the distribution center across the street.
The new building features a demonstration kitchen where people can learn to make food. An outdoor vegetable garden is also planned.
“Today is just the first step,” food bank Executive Director Bo Soderbergh said.
Norman Kronick founded the Fort Worth Foundation. He and his wife, who lived through the Great Depression, supported the food bank, said Sandra Knight, administrative trustee for the foundation.
“I think they never lost that vision of hungry neighbors and food lines,” Knight told those gathered Tuesday.
About $6 million was raised to buy the land and build the building, food bank spokeswoman Andrea Helms said. The food bank — which provides donated groceries to more than 300 hunger-relief charities in 13 North Texas counties — announced a new campaign to raise money for the renovation of the distribution center.
Diane A. Smith: 817-390-7675, @dianeasmith1
By the numbers
42 million meals a year planned to be distributed by 2020
26 million meals estimated to have been distributed in fiscal 2015
462,000 meals served weekly from July 2014 through June 2015
50,000 different people served in a typical week
25,000 visits by volunteers helping the food bank in fiscal 2015
Source: Tarrant Area Food Bank
This story was originally published September 15, 2015 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Tarrant Area Food Bank unveils new office building."