The executive director of Indianapolis-based Midwest Food bank says a planned expansion could help the organization meet growing demand for food assistance.

Todd Greenwood says a new $9 million warehouse will streamline operations by consolidating two existing facilities into a larger location.

"It will be 70,000 square feet of space," he says. "We'll have four times the capacity in our freezer and cooler space to be able to accommodate larger groups for packaging and to do more partnerships."

He tells Brownfield the project will also help the organization expand its reach across the state.

"We want to engage with community foundations and other counties in those rural areas to find the need," he says. "We can match that up with what we can procure and figure out what the best impact plan we have is."

Greenwood says food distribution needs have more than doubled by $50 million since 2014.

The expansion reflects a broader challenge facing food banks across the country, many of which have reported elevated demand in recent years even as pandemic-era surges in donations and government support have eased, putting pressure on capacity and supply chains.

The new facility is expected to open in the third quarter of 2027.

Midwest Food Bank is a faith-based nonprofit that distributes food and relief supplies through a network of U.S. and international locations. Like other food banks, it relies on donated food and volunteer labor, making warehouse and cold storage capacity a key factor in how much product it can accept and redistribute to partner agencies.