A friend to those struggling in today's economy, FIND Food Bank will get some help of its own: a $1 million financial boost, which Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez recently signed off on.
A shot in the arm from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, the money was directed at food bank as an agenda item during the Riverside County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, March 14, a county press release said.
The award will go toward plans for FIND to expand into a new site in Indio, the release said, citing necessity due to the food bank's growing outreach and services. FIND is a regional food bank for all of Coachella Valley and a valued resource in both Riverside County and southern San Bernardino County.
“In challenging times, FIND Food Bank has quickly mobilized to expand food distribution sites, mobile markets and services to meet the need for food through the pandemic, during emergencies in North Shore and Oasis Mobile Home Park, and today," Perez said. "FIND Food Bank is always there for our communities.”
The federal funding gives Perez the flexibility of using the monies in the Fourth District for priorities like housing, economic recovery and infrastructure, according to the release.
Besides extending her gratitude to the county and Perez for the award, FIND Food Bank President and CEO Debbie Espinosa cited the great demand for services that has fueled the expansion effort.
"Over the past few years, the number of working families, children, seniors and others facing food insecurity in the region has increased dramatically. FIND Food Bank has more than doubled the number of people served each month since the COVID-19 outbreak began, delivering more than 20 million meals annually. As we pursue expansion of our operations, the county’s help will be crucial to serving the needs of our community,” she said in the release.
The county's award is just a small portion of what's needed to build a new site in Indio to more than double the size of FIND's food distribution capacity. The project FIND envisions would cost an estimated $11 million for a new building, with equipment, to be erected on donated land next to its current site, according to the press release. But others are coming to FIND's aid as well, and already the state of California has kicked in separate awards of $3.8 million and $1.7 million toward the food bank's endeavors.
According to its website, FIND Food Bank was launched more than three decades ago to help those struggling to meet their basic nutritional needs. Toward that end, FIND is the lifeline to both fresh and nonperishable food items for extensive community groups and local residents. The numbers show FIND contributing 75% to 100% of the total food supply for 90% of the region's providers, which include everything from soup kitchens to pantries and religious groups. In 2021, FIND Food Bank doled out 20 million meals to an average of 150,000 people monthly at distribution centers numbering over 150.