FeedMore WNY to get $3 million in federal aid, seeks $45M in bonds for new Hamburg facility (2024)

FeedMore WNY, the nonprofit regional food bank and meal-delivery service formed in a merger five years ago, is advancing its efforts to build a new consolidated headquarters and distribution center in Hamburg, as it received a $3 million federal grant on Thursday while it asks an affiliate of the town’s industrial development agency to issue up to $45 million in tax-exempt bond financing for the $100 million project.

FeedMore, created from the merger of the Food Bank of Western New York and Meals on Wheels for Western New York, is planning to construct a new 218,477-square foot facility at 4832 Camp Road to house its operations to provide meals for the needy.

The organization is relocating from its current bases at 100 James E. Casey Drive and 91 Holt St. in Buffalo because of “deteriorating conditions,” as well as “an inability to grow in place, significant increases in community need today, and long-term projections in need for the future that we will not be able to meet based on current operations,” according to its bond application to the Hamburg New York Land Development Corp.

U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy, along with Sens. Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, announced this week that the nonprofit will receive $3 million in federal aid toward the construction, after securing the money as part of a government funding package. That follows an earlier allocation of $2 million for the project last year.

“I’m proud to secure $3 million for FeedMore WNY’s new building in Hamburg to give them the space they need to continue their important work and provide more food to those who need it,” Langworthy said in a news release.

The new campus will support the agency’s work of preparing 1.4 million meals annually for home delivery and community dining, as well as distributing more than 12 million pounds of food each year to nearly 400 hunger-relief agencies and programs, such as food pantries, soup kitchens and emergency shelters. In 2022, the agency provided help to 197,500 community members in four counties.

The proposed facility would include a food intake area, warehouse space, a commercial commissary, office and meeting space, logistics, repacking space and room for future initiatives, as well as any necessary equipment and machinery. It will also include a community garden, hydroponic container farms, a truck wash, and both classrooms and event space. Clients and food recipients will not be there, but a service center could be added later.

“This facility will become the centralized, forever home of FeedMore WNY – allowing the organization to best meet today’s need and to grow and expand in the future as needed,” FeedMore wrote in the bond application.

As part of the expansion project, FeedMore will retain 225 existing jobs and create 25 new full-time positions, earning $35,000 to $43,000 annually.

Project costs include $2.96 million for acquisition of the 74.4-acre light-industrial property, $79 million for construction, $11.46 million for equipment and furnishings, and $6.4 million in fees. FeedMore will use only 34 acres of the vacant property.

Additional project funding will also include a $24 million Urban Development Corp. grant, $250,000 from the Dormitory Authority of New York State, $33.58 million in New Markets Tax Credits and equity, and the bond financing, which will save FeedMore $300,000 in mortgage taxes. The organization is more than two years into a capital campaign.

“This is by far the largest capital expense the organization has ever undertaken,” the bond application said. “We will need every bit of community support we are able to secure.”

The Land Development Corp. will consider FeedMore’s bond application as soon as March 13.

The project was already approved by the town. Construction is expected to begin in May, with completion by December 2025, and occupancy in February 2026. FeedMore intends to sell the Holt Street warehouse and office, but will maintain the Casey site for a while as a backup facility for food production and training. The agency also has a warehouse in Falconer.