Greater Cleveland Food Bank expanding to west side

• The Food Bank served more people last year (400,000) than it served during the height of the pandemic.

State of play: The organization has been expanding since 2019. In January, it began looking in earnest to establish a presence on the city's west side.

• The new location will be modeled after its resource center in Collinwood, where those eligible for food bank services (those at or below 200% of the poverty level) can shop for food in a "market-style format."

Zoom in: Per Crain's, the Food Bank purchased the building for $3.5 million using federal stimulus dollars allocated by the state.

• Additional federal dollars will fund renovations.

Between the lines: The building is currently occupied by Cuyahoga County and is one of four neighborhood family service centers where residents can access benefits.

• The county's lease expires in September 2026, around when the Food Bank expects to open at the site.

What they're saying: "We hope that our partners at Cuyahoga County will also have county caseworkers co-located at this new site, similar to our South Waterloo [community resource center]," Kristin Warzocha, the Food Bank's CEO, said in a statement.

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