In life, certain things are well worth the wait, and this is one of those instances.
The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona is excited to know that its $4-million construction project has finally wrapped up.
What this means is that they’ve got more space for cool and frozen food storage, the parking lot improvements will help traffic flow, and there’s more room dedicated for volunteer work and training.
To date, this is the first major renovation for the building that’s housed the Food Bank for more than 25 years. The building was originally used as a furniture warehouse, and the renovations were funded with private donations.
“We are so grateful to the community and donors large and small who allowed us to take this step forward,” said Michael McDonald, CEO of the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. “We were able to make so many improvements, from providing a temperature-controlled environment for the millions of pounds of produce coming into our building to making our lobby and volunteer space a more welcoming and hospitable environment.”
Last spring, the original plans for construction were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Community Food Bank was dealt with an overwhelming demand for support. However, the food bank handled it with grace — temporarily moving its drive-thru food distribution to the Kino Sports Complex while crews began construction.
For more information, visit communityfoodbank.org.
Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
