God’s Pantry breaks ground on new expansion project; expected to be complete in Oct. 2024

LEXINGTON, Ky (WTVQ)- A leading nonprofit organization in Lexington aimed at addressing hunger in Kentucky broke ground Monday on a renovation and expansion project.

Leaders at God’s Pantry Food Bank’ say the expansion will provide even more support in 50 Central and Eastern Kentucky counties.

“There’s nearly a quarter of a million people across central and eastern Kentucky who may not know where their next meal is coming from,” says Michael Halligan, the CEO of God’s Pantry.

State, city, and community leaders attended the ceremony and helped break ground on the future home. Halligan says the project is about five years in the making.

“We are limited by our capacity today. This facility frees up that limitation and allows us make sure that we can deliver every meal that we need to deliver all over central and eastern Kentucky,” he says.

The new facility will include new office space, shipping and receiving offices, and freezer and cooler space, all of which will increase distribution of fresh, healthy foods for Kentuckians in need.

“We are actually consolidating our current facility on Jaggie Fox Way, as well as our commodity storage facility in Winchester Kentucky and Clark County,” says Halligan.

Halligan says demolition work will begin over the next couple weeks. The expansion project will allow the food bank to increase its capacity from providing 38 million meals a year to more than 60 million.

“We handle about $80 million worth of food a year. So calculate the return of investment. $20 million, turning it into $80 million dollars of food a year, that’s a pretty good return on investment,” says Halligan.

The expansion is expected to be complete in October 2024.