Community Food Basket announces relocation

IDAHO FALLS — The Community Food Basket-Idaho Falls (CFB) has some exciting news to share with the community. The non-profit emergency food agency announced on Thursday that its food distribution center will be relocating.

For more than 10 years, the Community Food Basket’s food distribution center has been located at 245 North Placer Avenue, the organization said in a news release. It noted that First Presbyterian Church, which owns the building, has been “wonderful” in allowing the CFB to operate there.

“The time has come to turn the page and begin a much-needed new journey at a larger location,” CFBIF’s executive director, Ariel Jackson, wrote in the news release.

The new location, 351 West 14th Street in Idaho Falls, was donated to the Food Basket by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, according to the news release.

CFB’s leadership said the organization has spent “many months” renovating the space. Among the renovations were the addition of a truck dock and doors for food deliveries, and removing carpet from the new pantry area. A new parking pad for the CFB food rescue vehicle has also been added.

This week, staff and volunteers moved commercial fridges, freezers, shelving and food to the new location.

The new facility will allow patrons to wait inside, out of Idaho’s severe weather, to receive emergency food.

“For years, those who visited the Food Basket seeking assistance had to endure Idaho’s extreme weather while waiting in line outside,” CFB said in the news release. “Frigid cold this winter and sometimes extreme heat in the summer made serving those who were struggling an uncomfortable and sometimes unsafe endeavor.”

CFB has also shifted operations to allow patrons to have more influence over the kinds of food they receive by switching some aspects of the process to a patron choice model while other aspects will remain volunteer assembled.

Community Food Basket is currently assisting up to 1,500 families per month from all over Eastern Idaho. That is often as many as 6,000 people who are facing a food crisis and need a helping hand. Beginning Monday, July 10, that will be from the new location.

With the new larger location and increase in the need for assistance, CFB is asking for volunteers. Even if you can only serve one day per week for a couple of hours, CFB wants to hear from you. If you or someone you know might be interested, contact Callie at (986) 231-7399, or email, volunteers@feedidahofalls.org.