Harry Chapin Food Bank facility project more than halfway complete in Fort Myers

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

The Harry Chapin Food Bank is nearing completion of its Hunger Action Center in Fort Myers, a facility designed to expand its capacity and better serve the community's growing needs.

"We're getting a lot more first timers," said Irma Lancaster of the Harry Chapin Food Bank.

The new facility will feature 11 loading docks, eight more than the current location on Central Avenue, to help bring more food to the community.

"This building is about 100,000 square feet. The existing building has roughly 50,000 square feet," said Scott McCloud, project manager at DeAngelis Diamond.

The nearly $30 million project also includes a full, affordable supermarket and expanded storage space with freezers and refrigerators to hold more food than the food bank could store before.

Donors like Ed Beal, who uses food bank goods to feed veterans, emphasized the importance of the expansion.

"I'm really happy about it because we have a lot of people in need," said Beal of Tamiami Veterans.

The Hunger Action Center, located at Ortiz Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, is expected to open by the end of the year, as early as October.

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