After years of discussion, planning, and collaboration, the Regional Food Bank of Hudson Valley completed a new distribution center in the Town of Montgomery last Wednesday, December 4. Residents and officials from across the region gathered in the facility to celebrate its grand opening, with several food bank members and associates providing insight on the project’s timeline and future.

Established in 1996, the Food Bank of Hudson Valley formerly operated in Cornwall-on-Hudson, providing meals to 350,000 residents monthly in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, and Ulster Counties. Demands for food distribution have increased drastically over the years, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, outgrowing the food bank’s original facility. For the past decade, the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York has worked with the state, local counties, and the Town of Montgomery to construct a bigger facility, equipped with state-of-the-art amenities to combat the region’s food insecurity.

These combined efforts led to the development of a 50,000-square-foot facility at 574 Route 416 in Montgomery, with twice as much space and four times as many storage racks compared to the Cornwall-on-Hudson location. The building features cold storage capabilities for meat and dairy products, a training room and kitchen for culinary programs, safer workspaces for staff and volunteers, and advanced technology for inventory management and distribution. These enhancements will greatly minimize the facility’s reliance on other food banks and create opportunities for service partnerships with local communities and businesses.

“This project is a true reflection of the heart of the Hudson Valley and the Catskills community, and it wouldn’t have been possible without each of you,” said Tom Nardacci, CEO of the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. “All of you are here today for a purpose, some role that you played in this project. And I want to start by saying thank you to everyone.”

Nardacci opened Wednesday’s ceremony by thanking everyone involved in the facility’s construction, including Governor Kathy Hochul, the Mid-Hudson Regional Council, members of the food bank’s board and capital campaign committee, and many more. He stressed the severity of Hudson Valley’s food insecurity, noting that 11% of the region’s residents are food insecure, but assured attendees that the new facility would feed countless families of present and future generations.

“Hunger won’t just go away, that’s the truth and we all know it. We built this facility because the need is real and greater than ever,” Nardacci said. “We’d rather not do this, right? We rather not spend money like this. But the truth is, we don’t have a choice and we all know it because we’ve all seen it. We’ve all seen people who are hungry and we’ve all helped people who are hungry. We all know that this is what’s needed.”

“When you look back at all the things you’ve done in your life, all the things you accomplished, and all the people you helped, I hope you look back and take great pride that you did this,” he continued. “Because long after we’re gone, this place will still feed hundreds of thousands of people, and I hope that you take that with you.”

Several speakers shared Nardacci’s sentiment, emphasizing the facility’s impact on hunger relief and recognizing the parties that this project possible.
“An estimated 154,000 individuals, including 46,000 children, in the Hudson Valley lack reliable access to nutritious food. We all believe that no family should have to decide between paying for rent or putting food on the table, said RuthAnne Visnauskas, commissioner and CEO of NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal. “This is what it means to be community support and it’s why this project is so important.”

“The Empire State Development and the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council are always looking for projects that fit into the council’s strategy of ‘live, work, and play.’ And this project exemplified our strategy by providing food to residents across our region,” said Linda Malava, regional director of the ESD and executive director of the MDREDC. “The Regional Food Bank has helped countless families remedy the increased costs of grocery stores. And with the completion of this new facility, it will do so for many years to come.”

“Our families depend greatly on food provided through our backpack food program. We have many families in our district who are living below the poverty line and facing food insecurity,” said Kori Rogers, homeless liaison at Newburgh Enlarged City School District. “We are excited to work with the food bank and see how we can help the families in our district together.”

Steve Brescia, Town of Montgomery supervisor, recognized several officials for their contributions to the food bank, including former supervisors Ron Feller and Brian Maher, Village Mayor Mike Hembury, Village Trustee Kevin Conero, and Marcia Jacobowitz, the facility’s project manager.

“I know that Mike Hembury was very supportive of the project, and Kevin Conero helped streamline the process when he was chairman of the planning board,” Brescia said. “I mentioned her during the groundbreaking ceremony, but Marcia Jacobowitz drove me and everyone else nuts. But in all seriousness, she created the synergies and went through all the hurdles, and there were many hurdles.”

Matthew Stoddard, business manager of Iron Workers Local 417, extended his gratitude to the food bank for hiring local labor to build the new facility. He asserted that the salaries paid to local workers would circulate back into their communities, supporting the regions in more ways than just hunger relief.

“By hiring so much local labor, there is a multiplier for every dollar that’s made by each worker in the community; that dollar travels around five to seven times. This was a plus $20 million project, so that’s a $100 million that’s going to be fed back to this community,” Stoddard said. “We can’t thank you enough for using and trusting local labor on such a wonderful project.”

Following the speeches, attendees took a tour around the facility’s main storage room, marveling at the sky-high racks soon to be filled with millions of pounds of food. The ceremony concluded with food bank members unleashing confetti poppers from the building’s second floor, signaling a brighter future for Hudson Valley residents facing food insecurity.