Northeast Iowa Food Bank asks Black Hawk County for $1 million to expand capacity

Barb Prather, representing the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, asked the Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 17 for a $1,000,000 contribution toward a $14,000,000 renovation and expansion of the organization’s Lafayette facility.

Prather said the current facility is about 45,000 square feet and the proposal would add roughly 26,000 square feet for expanded cooler/freezer space, a larger licensed processing ("clean") room and more volunteer space. "The current building is about 45,000 square feet. I believe we're adding another 26,000 square feet," Prather said during the presentation.

The food bank reported a surge in demand last November during a federal government shutdown, when it distributed 462,000 meals in Black Hawk County — about a 9% increase over November 2024 — and served 42,851 duplicated individuals in the county that month. Prather told supervisors the food bank served roughly 4,200,000 meals in Black Hawk County in the previous year and that about 33% of households they serve include children.

Prather said the food bank has raised nearly $8,000,000 toward the renovation and is seeking public and private commitments to close the roughly $6,000,000 remaining gap. She listed several major pledges and commitments already secured, including $675,000 from the John Deere Foundation, $400,000 pledged by the Van Jean Miller Family Charitable Foundation, $300,000 from the Gallagher Family Foundation, $250,000 from the McElroy Trust and $200,000 from the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa. The food bank is also pursuing new market tax credits and federal, state and regional funding to help finish the campaign.

Board members asked for more detail on the project timeline, construction loan status and potential participation by neighboring counties or cities. Prather said construction has begun in limited fashion and the organization has a $2,000,000 state ARPA matching grant that must be matched soon; the board also heard the food bank’s goal is to have pledges sufficient to retire construction debt by 2029.

Supervisor discussion emphasized coordination with cities and other jurisdictions. One supervisor suggested the county take a leadership role to encourage cities and other counties to make matching or complementary commitments; Prather said she would assemble follow-up materials and proposals for the board and was willing to work with county liaisons to solicit broader public commitments.

The board did not take a funding vote at the meeting; the presentation concluded with staff and supervisors agreeing to follow up with additional details and a potential coordinated request to local governments.

The board moved on to other agenda items after questioning and the presentation concluded.