Feed the Children, a leading nonprofit focused on alleviating childhood hunger, will open its newest distribution center at 3475 S. McQueen Rd. in Chandler, Ariz. on Tuesday, June 22. A ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony will be held at the site from 4 to 5 p.m.
The 104,300 square-feet facility will house more than 3,000 pallets of food and household essentials to distribute to community partners throughout the western U.S. It will also be home to a volunteer area, more than 1,800-square-feet in office space, and 25 usable dock doors. The site will also be a staging location for tractor-trailers for Feed the Children’s wholly owned subsidiary FTC Transportation. This will allow the organization to be more responsive to the community’s needs.
The Chandler Distribution and Volunteer Center will also be home to one of five Feed the Children Teacher Store locations. Teachers at Chandler or Mesa schools with Title I designations will be eligible to shop once a month to receive free school supplies and books. Pre-packaged disaster kits also will be housed at the site to assist families following natural disasters.
Although the Distribution and Volunteer Center is new, Feed the Children has been working in Arizona for several years to assist struggling families who live below the poverty line. In FY20, the nonprofit distributed 49 shipments of food and other essentials valued at more than $1.6 million to local partners including the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, Gethsemani Food Ministry, Midwest Food Bank - Arizona Division, Pilgrim Rest Foundation Inc. and Street Light USA among others.
By working with these partners, the organization impacted more than 365,000 children and their families in Arizona.
“During the past year, the importance of our work has come to light as many families faced unexpected, unprecedented challenges. At the same time, it has allowed us to develop an even deeper understanding of community and what can be accomplished when we all work together,” said Travis Arnold, President and CEO of Feed the Children. “We are proud to be opening this site in Chandler and we look forward to working with local businesses and community organizations. We know that when we combine our efforts, we will have a greater impact for the families in Arizona.”
Through its partnerships and programs, Feed the Children’s outreach to children and their families benefited more than 5.6 million people in the U.S. and more than 1.7 million internationally in FY20.