The Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York owns and operates a 62,000 square-foot warehouse/office facility. The warehouse encompasses 53,000 square-feet at this building and includes dry storage space, 17 loading/distribution docks, a 4,000 square-foot cooler and an 11,000 square-foot freezer. There are 21 Food Bank employees operating the warehouse and driving the Food Bank trucks. The warehouse depends greatly on the organization and teamwork of the Food Bank warehouse employees, who are dedicated to keeping the warehouse clean and orderly.
- The warehouse receives 78,972 pounds of food a day
- The freezer is 321,000 cubic feet, which is equivalent to 53,000 household freezers
- The cooler is 120,000 cubic feet, which is equivalent to 10,000 household refrigerators
- Food Bank drivers travel approximately 257,000 miles a year (1,023.9 miles a day)
- The Food Bank used a total of 30,518 gallons of diesel fuel in 2007
- The warehouse can store 3,086 dry pallets, 1,601 freezer pallets and 375 cooler pallets
- The Food Bank utilizes five tractors, nine trailers and seven straight trucks
Salvage Program
Volunteers are also a vital part of the warehouse team. Volunteers work in the warehouse sorting salvage, repacking food and assisting in various other tasks. Click here for more information about volunteering at the Food Bank. The Regional Food Bank's state-of-the-art salvage operation features an automated conveyor belt and pushback racking on a deck over the sorting area. With the conveyor system, sorted salvage is directed to one of three locations: packing area, sink, or dump trailer outside the building. The racking allows raw salvage to be properly stored within the confines of the salvage room. The salvage operation is designed to maximize space utilization and the efficiency of salvage sorting. The dense pack racking and efficient conveyor system allow the Food Bank to accept all salvage donations, offer volunteers an ergonomic workspace, and make sorted salvage available to member agencies on a consistent basis.
The Food Bank's Salvage Program has been called the best in the network by visitors from America's Second Harvest and other food banks. The conveyor system, with its three destinations, is truly unique in that it incorporates the best of automated sorting designs of several food banks. The ability to accept all salvage donations and keep pace with sorting to assure timely product rotation was at the forefront of the projects design. The new space allows the Food Bank to incorporate more volunteers, sort more food, reduce waste, cut costs, and increase salvage distribution and service to member agencies.
Regional Food Bank Facility Tour
