Brazos Valley Food Bank Receives A More Than $2 Million Dollar Grant

Image from the Brazos Valley Food Bank website.
Image from the Brazos Valley Food Bank website.

The Brazos Valley Food Bank recently learned the agency will be receiving more than $2 million dollars from the Texas Department of Agriculture.

Food Bank executive director Theresa Mangapora says this will expand the infrastructure that will allow the food bank and its 36 partner agencies to distribute more food in their six county service area.

Mangapora says some of the money will go towards the food bank’s administrative functions.

Mangapora says this is the most money since the agency completed its capital campaign that began in 2017 that allowed them to move into their current facility.

Click below for comments from Theresa Mangapora, visiting with WTAW’s Bill Oliver:

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Additional information from the Brazos Valley Food Bank:

What does this mean for the Brazos Valley Food Bank (BVFB)?

BVFB contract with TDA is for $2,073,618.00. BVFB has not had this level of infusion of funds towards capacity building since its Because Hunger Won’t Wait Capital Campaign back in 2017, that allowed us to move into the facility we currently occupy. This contract is and will be significant for BVFB and its partner agencies.

What will these funds be used for?

In order to distribute more food, BVFB needs to enhance its own distribution infrastructure, as well as that of its partner agencies. For BVFB, this means the:

  • Purchase of additional trucks
  • Repurpose of our Annex (detached building) into a Produce Rescue Center for additional cold storage space onsite
  • Refurbishing BVFB’s existing Cooler/Freezer, overhead doors, as well as its Produce RePack Room
  • Purchase and install additional food racks and repair some existing
  • Purchase of additional equipment

For Partner Agencies, the means the:

  • Purchase and awarding of Walk-In Coolers to partner agencies
  • Purchase of Mobile Produce Pods (with a truck and trailer for transport) to drop at partner agencies currently with limited cold storage capacity
  • Sub-award of Agency Capacity Grants

Increase BVFB’s Capacity as an Organization through Administrative Enhancements: In order for BVFB to distribute more food, critical staff and vital processes across the organization need adequate resources and support. To do this, BVFB will:

  • Build out of additional offices
  • Purchase and install warehouse modular offices
  • Acquisition and installation of warehouse/food Inventory bar coding, including training
  • Acquisition and installation of Client Tracking Software, to be used across all BVFB Programs
  • Increase Property Security Measures
  • New computers and copiers