Some of those who help operate NeighborImpact's food bank operation can be seen in this November 2022 file photo.

NeighborImpact, the nonprofit that supplies Central Oregon’s food pantries, has raised the money it needs to build a new food warehouse in Redmond to help feed Central Oregon’s growing number of residents struggling with hunger. 

A $200,000 donation from an anonymous donor to the organization, the largest single donation in its history, will allow the agency to begin construction on the new 10,691-square-foot warehouse in June, said Rachel Haakenson, NeighborImpact’s communications director. 

The donation closed a funding gap for the $5 million needed to build the new facility, which it anticipates completing in June 2024, NeighborImpact said in a news release Wednesday.  Haakenson said the rest of the funding came from other individual donors, grants and foundations.

The current warehouse is also in Redmond and is 3,000 square feet. NeighborImpact plans to keep operating out of both warehouses.

The new facility will allow NeighborImpact to store roughly 173,300 pounds of additional food at any given time. That will allow the organization to provide 138,600 more meals.

“This is a historic moment for the agency and a major step toward easing food insecurity in the years ahead,” said Scott Cooper, executive director of NeighborImpact.

With the money raised for the warehouse, the organization will continue its efforts to bring in, store, and distribute food to the 57 food pantries in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, feeding more than 60,000 people per month.

NeighborImpact welcomes donations to help fund its operations to better curb hunger in the region.

“The need for food is critical. Recent cuts in SNAP have severely strained food resources in the region,” said Suzette Chapman, NeighborImpact chief development officer. “The warehouse fundraising is concluded, but the need for community support to take care of our neighbors is greater than ever.”