The Food Bank of Northwest Indiana recently purchased a 15,000-square-foot facility next to its existing building on Broadway, which will allow the nonprofit to more than triple its capacity to rescue food that might otherwise go to waste.
The $2 million project lets the agency go from room for 204 pallets to 750 pallets, President and CEO Victor Garcia said.
A crowd gathers before the start of a “Bread Breaking Ceremony,” marking the acquisition of a building at 6510 Broadway in Merrillville for the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana on Thursday Aug. 27, 2026. It sits next door to the nonprofit’s current headquarters. (John Smierciak/for the Post-Tribune)
Owning the building next door also means the nonprofit will be able expand on the larger campus if that’s ever needed, he said.
“We moved 11.4 million pounds of food last year,” a record amount, Garcia said. But in Northwest Indiana, the need is about 20 million pounds.
Garcia gave credit to Strack & Van Til President & CEO Jeff Strack, a Food Bank board member who knew about the cold storage warehouse’s availability and helped the nonprofit acquire the facility. “It’s a lot of fundraising” to cover the $2 million cost, Garcia said.
“As a grocery retailer, we understand the importance of cold storage of products,” Van Til said.
Feeding America CEO Denis McDonough and U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, share a laugh before the start of a “Bread Breaking Ceremony,” marking the acquisition of a building at 6510 Broadway in Merrillville that will expand the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana’s capacity on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (John Smierciak/for the Post-Tribune)
Denis McDonough, CEO of Feeding America and former chief of staff to President Barack Obama, applauded Garcia’s efforts as Feeding America’s Indiana board president “pushing for innovation and neighbor-centered investments.”
As the federal government cuts back on federal food assistance, demand continues to grow McDonough noted.
That’s important year-round but especially in emergencies.
“Unfortunately, you’ve seen what that looks like in the last three weeks,” he said, in the wake of the Aug. 11 derecho.
From left, Franciscan Health Foundation Executive Director Rick Peltier, Regional Care Group CEO Bill Trowbridge, Meals on Wheels Northwest Indiana CEO Ryan Elinkowski, and Franciscan Health’s Community Health Improvement Director Danielle Crowder partake in a “Bread Breaking Ceremony,” marking the acquisition of a new building at 6510 Broadway in Merrillville for the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana on Thursday Aug. 27, 2026. (John Smierciak/for the Post-Tribune)
As of noon Thursday, 16 days after the storm, NIPSCO was down to 265 outages.
“Overnight, everybody came,” McDonough said, and the Food Bank kept getting food to neighbors.
“Infrastructure like this gives that response even more reach, even more resilience,” he said.
“What do we want for our families? More dairy, more protein, more frozen,” he said.
Strack & Van Til President and CEO Jeff Strack addresses the crowd at an event marking the acquisition of a new building at 6510 Broadway in Merrillville to expand the capacity of the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (John Smierciak/for the Post-Tribune)
With the purchase of the cold storage facility, the existing freezer space will be converted to refrigerated storage, Garcia said.
“This is what gives me confidence about our ability to tend hunger, not just keep feeding people but end hunger,” McDonough said.
U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, said Mother Nature can be magnificent, but it can also be damaging, as he and thousands of other Northwest Indiana residents experienced with the Aug. 11 derecho.
“Mother Nature can’t affect the strength of our community because we were committed and we were helping each other,” he said.
Feeding America CEO Denis McDonough addresses the crowd at an event marking the acquisition of a new building at 6510 Broadway in Merrillville to expand the capacity of the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (John Smierciak/for the Post-Tribune)
Mrvan promised to keep pushing for federal funding for food assistance.
“it’s the people who aren’t here that we are using our voices for, that line up on Saturdays for miles to get food,” Mrvan said.
Garcia thanked the hundreds of food pantries, schools and other organizations that “serve on the front lines of fighting against hunger.”
“Food has always brought people together. It creates community. It strengthens relationships,” Garcia said.
“When we break bread, we acknowledge our shared responsibility to take care of one another,” Strack said, as participants broke bread at the same moment to share that sentiment.
“Today we celebrate progress. Tomorrow, we get back to work,” Food Bank board President Bob Jacobs said.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
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