On February 3, 2025, as confetti rained down upon a sea of well-wishers, a renewed sense of optimism filled the Regional Food Bank’s new Orange County Distribution Center, that its challenge to fight food insecurity and nourish communities in the Hudson Valley would be better served with the opening of this state-of-the-art facility.
The new 50,000-square-foot distribution center located in the historic Village of Montgomery, has allowed for the purchase of more food from local growers and producers. At the same time, it has provided the Regional Food Bank with four times more storage for dry, cold, and frozen foods than its previous location in Cornwall, expanding essential resources for more than 400 local food programs across the Hudson Valley.
With direct access to highways, the Food Bank has been able to increase distribution and make it easier for partnering agencies to pick up food. In all, the Montgomery distribution center helps the Food Bank serve over 179,000 people a month, strengthening food security efforts in the Hudson Valley.
The distribution center was funded by a $10.7 million award from the Community Development Block Grant CARES program from New York State Homes and Community Renewal, Empire State Development which supported the project with a $3.7 million capital grant recommended by the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council, $1.9 million contribution from the Regional Food Bank and $9 million in private donations.
Since opening, the Montgomery site has quickly become a hub for community engagement and recognition. The Regional Food Bank was honored by Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress for its longstanding commitment to fighting food insecurity and was named the Orange County Chamber of Commerce’s “Best Place to Work – Nonprofit.” The facility has hosted major community events, welcomed elected officials and business leaders, and served as the backdrop for key announcements and bi-partisan advocacy efforts. The year concluded with a generous $95,000 gift from ShopRite and Wakefern Food Corp to expand the Food Bank’s Shop the Dock program.
“We needed a building that would match the region’s need and our renewed commitment to the Hudson Valley,” said Nardacci. “We accomplished that with this distribution center.”