Tens of thousands of people across Texoma are facing food insecurity. Today, local leaders are taking a big step to address it. The Wichita Falls Area Food Bank unveils a plan for a new facility to expand services across the region.

A big announcement, with an even bigger mission.

“Every day that goes by, every single day that goes by, children, families, and seniors are struggling and experiencing hunger,” David O’Neil, CEO of Wichita Falls Area Food Bank, said.

The Wichita Falls Area Food Bank is going public with its “Nourishing Lives Building Tomorrow” capital campaign to fund a new, expanded facility to meet growing demand.

“We serve 12 counties, only five of those have supermarkets that we would consider like a Sam’s, a Walmart, an Aldi, a United. Which means that we are the sole provider of fresh food to those people,” O’Neil said.

Those words alone highlight how much of a need this new facility is. Leaders say this region has one of the highest food insecurity rates in the country, ranking 15th out of 200 food banks nationwide.

“Currently, we’re only able to meet about two-thirds of the need. It’s 42,000 food-insecure individuals within our 12-county area. One in four of those happen to be children. So, for us to get fresh, nutritious, healthy foods out to all of our 12 counties, we can’t do that unless we have more room,” O’Neil said.

The facility will be built on the corner of Hammon and Production Boulevard, covering 14 acres with room to grow.

“The cooler and freezer space is going to give us the capacity to triple the amount of food that gets distributed,” O’Neil said.

The goal? 17 million dollars. So far, about 75% has already been raised, but now they need the community’s help for the final push. For campaign leaders, the project is about more than just building; it’s about giving back to a community they know well.

“It’s such a great opportunity that they could’ve given me to do this. You know, a little feel-good always goes a long way. So, being able to help the community has just been such a blessing. Having grown up here and having lived here, I’m like, it’s just my chance to give back to Wichita Falls,” Lauren Johnson, Capital Campaign Chairman, said.

Once the campaign reaches its goal, construction could move quickly. For now, they’re calling on the community to help close the gap and bring the project to life.

If you’d like to donate, visit the WFAFB website.

Read original story here: https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/local-news/community-support-needed-for-new-wichita-falls-area-food-bank-facility/