By Lois Rockhill
Come see our new place! We are having a dinner and a tour on December 5th at 6:00 PM, our first public event in our new home. We’ll update you on our progress and give you a peak at what’s to come. Call Tiffany at 800-886-0882 or email tjones@curehunger.org to register at $15 per person.
We won’t be hard to find, look us up on Yahoo Maps at 6621 N Old SR 3. It’s a Muncie address but we are located in Delaware County, minutes from the Muncie Mall to the South and Royerton to the North. Tiffany can give more specific directions if needed.
It’s been a long haul, hasn’t it? Two years ago August when Hurricane Katrina was wrecking havoc in New Orleans, we were aghast to learn that our building in Anderson was doomed. It was found to be structurally unsound with the south wall in danger of collapse.
Time has flown since then, crammed-packed full of building searches, funding exploration, and property acquisition and renovation along with sustaining day-to-day operations of providing millions of pounds of food for people in need in East Central Indiana.
Everything has come together rather well. We purchased the 36.6-acre, 110,000 square foot, four-building complex in April and began getting the previously vacant facility ready for occupancy. Volunteers, staff and temporary employees painted, caulked, secured and cleaned building #3 to ready it to be our base of operation.
The freezer and refrigerator were constructed with gently used panels held up by specially engineered steel. Electricians wired, professionals piped and technicians cabled. Concrete was poured, gravel laid and parking lots de-weeded. With lots more on the to-do lists for the entire complex, we finally brought building #3 to the point of occupancy.
Two weeks ago all the dry food was transferred from Anderson to Delaware County. Last week we moved the frozen. This week we plan to pull two construction trailers into building #3 to use as temporary offices. With a little luck we will get our furniture, files, and office contents moved into those offices by the first of December and be fully relocated.
Our name will soon come off the building at 1417 Meridian Street in Anderson and the building transferred to the City of Anderson. I hope this prime location continues to serve the community well whether from a repaired building or a well-located lot that may attract new business.
Lois Rockhill is Executive Director of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana, Inc.
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