Manchester PZC approves food bank warehouse

Skyler Frazer, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
·3 min read

Jun. 22—MANCHESTER — The town is one step closer to welcoming a food bank warehouse after the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a special exception request for Midwest Food Bank.

Food bank representatives met with the commission Monday to explain how they plan to convert a portion of 579 W. Middle Turnpike into a food bank warehouse.

Midwest Food Bank, a national nonprofit, supports other nonprofits and food pantries by collecting and distributing food to those groups. The new warehouse in Manchester will service the greater Hartford area and eventually spread its reach to other parts of New England. The new site will be the organization's 10th warehouse in the country.

Jan Young, executive director of the New England division of the Midwest Food Bank, said her organization is a faith-based nonprofit that operates nationally as well as in Haiti and parts of east Africa. She said the organization already has a good working relationship with Foodshare, which operates in a similar capacity in Connecticut.

"We are here to complement relief efforts, not compete," Young said. "Our primary program is to distribute food to participating nonprofit agencies at no cost."

Individuals will not come to Midwest Food Bank to get food. Instead, partnered agencies schedule monthly food pickups that they will then distribute to the people they serve.

Young said that the organization is heavily volunteer-based, so there will be opportunities for community involvement and support.

"It will be a place that people can come, make friends, and help make a difference," Young said. "We have the ability to move the needle on this region's food insecurity and help meet the basic needs of each resident."

The existing building proposed for the food bank sits on a 6.09-acre parcel and is divided into two separate spaces, with the front portion of the building — with frontage on Middle Turnpike West — occupied by Odyssey Community School.

Young said that Midwest Food Bank will coordinate with the school to ensure its monthly pickup schedules do not interfere with students coming and going from school.

According to information from Senior Planner Megan Pilla, the rear portion of the building — with frontage on Adams Street and mailing address 440 Adams Street — has historically been used for commercial or warehouse uses and was most recently occupied by Mustangs Unlimited.

Alan Lamson, vice president and planning director at FLB Architecture & Planning Inc., said they won't have to do site work in preparation of the new food bank.

"It works very well for the Midwest Food Bank," Lamson said of the state of the current site.

The group needed special exception approval from the commission to allow bulk storage or warehousing and distribution of commodities, including food, in the General Business zone.

With that approval, Lamson said the new warehouse plans to be open in early September.

Pilla said that town officials had no outstanding questions regarding the project and representatives from Midwest Food Bank NFP Inc. answered all staff questions.

Commission members were supportive of the proposal. Chair Eric Prause said the food bank is a great use for the site and he's happy to see another organization come to the state to help deal with food insecurity.

"This is a great idea," Commissioner Jessee Poland said.

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