The Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, a distribution location of the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, announces the launch of its capital campaign to construct a new 40,000 square foot distribution center in the Village of Montgomery. The campaign aims to raise funds and support from the community to build a state-of-the-art facility that will significantly expand the organization's capacity to combat food insecurity and alleviate hunger in New York State and directly serve six Hudson Valley counties (Orange, Ulster, Dutchess, Rockland, Sullivan, and Putnam).

The current facility located in Cornwall-on-Hudson has been operating since 1996, providing vital food resources to tens of thousands of individuals and families facing hunger. However, with the growing demand and the changing landscape of food insecurity, the need for a larger, more modern facility has become essential to meet the escalated challenges faced by the community. In collaboration with the Town of Montgomery, the project has been awarded a $10.7 million Community Development Block Grant. The new 40,000-square-foot building will provide increased capacity to obtain, sort, store, and distribute food donations in the region.

The capital campaign, named "Growing to Feed Our Community," seeks to raise $6.5 million over the next several months. These funds will be utilized to construct a state-of-the- art distribution center that will revolutionize the way the Regional Food Bank leads the effort to alleviate hunger and bring a positive impact to the lives of children, seniors, and individuals in the six-county region.

To launch this ambitious campaign successfully, the Regional Food Bank seeks support from individuals, businesses, and philanthropic organizations who share the same passion for making a difference in our community. Every contribution, big or small, will have a significant impact on the lives of our neighbors in need. John Rath, EVP & Chief Lending Officer at Lakeland Bank and a long-time supporter and Advisory Board Member of the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, has agreed to chair the Capital Campaign Committee. He is joined by other business and community leaders with deep ties throughout the Hudson Valley.

“I have been proud of my long association with and support for the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley to help alleviate hunger in our communities,” said Rath. “We have thousands of children, seniors, and people in need of healthy and nourishing food in the Hudson Valley and this new facility is greatly needed to meet the demand. Over 150,000 people are served by the Food Bank in the Hudson Valley each month and this facility will allow them to source more local food, including food from farmers and local retail stores, and build even better partnerships with local agencies and programs to distribute that food to people in need.”

Other Capital Campaign Committee members include: Derrik Wynkoop, Rich Rowley, Nick Preddice, Lauren Rowley, Marcia Jacobowitz Esq., Dan Ahouse, Amanda Baxter, Alex Betke, Michael Blustein Esq., Jeffrey Crist, Marc Devitt, Nick Fitzpatrick, Michael Gilfeather, Jason Giordano CPA, Paul Hoffner, Harold King, Michelle Baron Lepore, Mike Oates, Father Mark Connell, Joe O’Connor, James Ottaway Jr., Jonathan Rouis, Jack Smith, RJ Smith, Greg Sousa, and Mike Turturro.