Utah Food Bank opening new Hurricane Valley pantry this year
HURRICANE, Utah (ABC4) — The Utah Food Bank is opening a new food pantry in Hurricane Valley later this year, providing services the Food Bank says would usually require a roundtrip drive to St. George.
The Hurricane Valley Food Pantry will be located at 600 North and 500 West, near the city’s power department.
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In partnership with the Five County Association of Governments, the new food pantry will offer services to help Hurricane residents tackle challenges that typically come with food insecurity. These services include registration for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) programs, as well as multiple housing assistance programs, domestic violence counseling and the Home Energy Assistance Target (HEAT) program.
The 9,000-plus square foot facility will also be the home of a new warehouse and pantry space for the Utah Food Bank.
“I have been proposing a new pantry in Hurricane for many years because our budget just wouldn’t allow us to do more,” said Five County Association of Governments Director of Community Action Kim Cooper. “We look forward to being able to bring such desperately needed access to services for our community, and our partnership with Utah Food Bank will make this possible.”
The pantry will be open five days per week and replace the former Hurricane Food Pantry that was located near 450 East 800 North. It is expected to open in “mid-year 2024.”
Utah Food Bank said the new building has been a year in the making. The non-profit purchased the new facility in 2023 and has since been working with local contractors and vendors to refit the building to fit both the needs of the Utah Food Bank and the Five County Association of Governments.
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“No single entity can solve the issues that Utahns facing hunger experience. “This is a perfect example of how the spirit of collaboration makes Utah’s non-profit community stronger and I’m looking forward to seeing how this model changes the way resources are offered in the Hurricane valley,” said Utah Food Bank President and CEO Ginette Bott. “This one-stop-shop approach will help us better serve Utahns for generations to come as our population grows and changes.”
Funding for the building comes from the $42 million Utah Food Bank has dedicated toward its three-year expansion project. Much of the funding was provided by the American Rescue Plan Act, federal funds provided to states, including Utah, to help alleviate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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