NAMPA, Idaho — Care House Partnerships now has a larger food bank in Nampa, and it will help the nonprofit serve the hundreds of people who wait in line each week for food.
The nonprofit's programs director Tony Johnson said they realized about four years ago they were outgrowing their old space. Building a new one was only possible with financial help from the community.
"We were serving our community out of a house that was 1,000 square feet," he said. "But through generous donations in finances as well as gifts in kind, we were able to build this 4500 square foot facility."
He said the new warehouse, which opened on the 17th, will help them help more people put food on the table.
The food bank sees about 40 to 50 new families every week. Johnson said they serve roughly 300 households per week, which equates to more than 1,200 people fed.
"It breaks our heart that that is the reality that many of our families experience," Johnson said. "But we feel blessed because we have such partnerships, and we have such a facility to be able to serve them."
Kylee Allen comes to the food bank once a month.
"It's definitely gotten a lot harder to feed our family, especially with the money that we were making, just because prices on everything have just gone up," she said. "There are just so many people out here struggling, day in and day out, just to make ends meet. And this just provides another resource for our community."
The food bank runs with the help of volunteers, like Pam Bitsch. She helps fills boxes with food every week and is excited by the new space.
"We are very, very blessed," she said. "God did a miracle to bring this into being."
The food bank, which is in the parking lot of the Nampa First Church of the Nazarene, is open from 12:30 to 4 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Johnson said they always need more donations, including food and money. People who are interested in volunteering should email foodbank@carehp.org.