Montgomery County Food Bank offers first look at its $6.5M facility expansion during record demand

Community leaders got a first look at the Montgomery County Food Bank‘s $6.5 million expansion this week. 

The nonprofit broke ground on the project in April and the renovation will expand its facility by nearly 18,000 square feet and help the nonprofit serve 5,000 additional families per month as the group faces record-high demand in the community. 

According to information from the group, the expansion will allow the group to provide 1 million more meals each year. In 2023, the group provided more than eight million meals to the food insecure in the community. 

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County growth drives food needs

Additions include 3,000-plus square feet for the produce rescue area, a 43% increase in cold storage, a new parking area, a new welcome center, 5,000-plus additional square feet for a food storage and work area and a communal gathering spot and volunteer center. The new expansions are scheduled to open in the spring. 

The group’s campaign for expansion is called “Build Today, Feed Tomorrow.” 

“Montgomery County is listed as one of the fastest growing counties not only in Texas, but in all of America. The growth is tremendous,” said Jim Wolf, chairman of the board of directors for the food bank. “As our county has grown, so has the need. Feeding America estimates somewhere between 10% and 15% of our county meets their criteria for being food insecure. These are folks in our community, right here, who need our assistance.” 

The food bank emerged as the sixth largest food bank in Texas when it moved to its 60,000-square-foot facility in southwest Conroe in 2014. 

Serving more residents each month

It served an average of more than 80,000 individuals per month in 2023 — a 23 percent increase from 2022, which food bank president and CEO Kristine Marlow attributes to countywide growth, inflation and supply chain issues that have lingered since the pandemic.

Wolf said they see need in community groups such as the elderly, veterans, children and families with working parents who are living on the margin financially where any small extra event can cause an issue. 

“The good news is Montgomery County Food Bank has made a tremendous difference in these people’s lives and the need in our community,” he said. 

Partner pantries help with distribution

The nonprofit works with more than 80 partner pantries around the county to the the food in the hands of clients. 

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The food bank has raised just under $5 million of the estimated $6.5 million needed to complete the project. Local companies, including Huntsman, Woodforest National Bank, Howard Hughes, ExxonMobil and Kroger helped fund the Build Today, Feed Tomorrow program, which also received funding from the state Legislature and the federal American Rescue Plan Act. 

Community leaders gathered inside the unfinished Volunteer Center Wednesday. 

Room to grow

“This space we’re sitting in, we couldn’t have had an event like this at the food bank inside anywhere else before today,” he said. “We didn’t have a space to bring the community in and really experience onsite our mission and become a part of it.” 

The food bank is at 1 Food for Life Way in Conroe. Expansions were made to the existing building on the north and south ends of the building. More than 700 volunteers a month help at the food bank. 

“We’re looking to inspire and provide hope in the form of this new addition in the spring of 2025,” Marlow said.

One of the key additions she’s excited about is the ability to expand the produce rescue center. 

“With this we are going to provide an innovative and sustainable method of rescuing the healthy produce in the center to provide for a million more meals a year,” she said. “The new cold space will more than triple our current produce rescue center.” 

‘The need is urgent’

She said the project is more than 75% funded. Approximately $1.5 million in funding is still needed. 

On Wednesday, she announced that ExxonMobil will provide a $250,000 match. This match doubles the impact of every donation made to the Build Today, Feed Tomorrow capital campaign. 

“The need is urgent, it is there and it is rising,” she told those gathered. 

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