Reno County Food Bank outlines $1 million capital campaign as hunger figures rise

The Food Bank of Reno County told the Reno County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 27 that demand for food assistance has risen and the organization is launching a capital campaign to buy and renovate a former Family Dollar building to expand storage and service capacity.

"Some of these statistics that I'm gonna talk about, you probably already knew about, but I didn't till I got involved with this work. And I find them disturbing to say the least," said Donna Davis, speaking on behalf of the food bank's board of directors. She said the food bank served more than 18,000 individuals last year and that more than 20% of those were senior citizens.

The food bank's presentation followed a county proclamation declaring September 2025 National Hunger Awareness Month in Reno County. The proclamation cited county-level figures presented by speakers at the meeting — including that roughly one in five children and one in eight adults in Reno County experience food insecurity and that a local school district reported about 70% of its students qualified for free or reduced-price meals last year.

Davis described operational limits at the food bank's current facility inside the Salvation Army building: about 2,000 square feet, 20 linear feet of shelving in the client shopping area, and the ability to let only two families shop at a time. She said the food bank serves about 30 families per day and sometimes must limit intake because it lacks warehouse space and volunteer capacity.

To address those constraints, the food bank is negotiating to buy and renovate the former Family Dollar building at Fourth and Severance, Davis said. She said the group plans to close on the building Sept. 12 and has launched a $1 million capital campaign to cover renovations and equipment — she listed examples including a forklift (about $40,000) and a walk-in freezer (about $25,000). The proposed new site would combine a warehouse, a shopping area and space for First Call for Help to co-locate client services.

Commissioners asked about the project's timeline and fundraising. Davis said the timing depends on fundraising progress: "We close on it September 12. It will become ours. So then it depends on how our fundraising goes... Our capital campaign is for a million dollars, and that's a ballpark of what it'll take to renovate the inside of the food bank to be a mini grocery store and offices for First Call for Help."

Davis asked residents and businesses to donate, organize drives, or invite the food bank to speak to civic groups as part of Hunger Action Month awareness.

Ending: The county proclamation and the food bank's capital campaign set a timetable for fundraising and a near-term closing on the building; the food bank said it will report progress to the community as the campaign proceeds.