The $500,000 project – which will include walk-in refrigerator and freezer units – will result in new Warehouse space that will roughly double BHH’s overall food storage footprint and triple its cold storage (perishable food) capacity. This expanded food storage space will allow BHH to help as many as 27,000 new clients over the next five-to-ten years – potentially doubling the overall number of people who could be served by the organization.
“While this may sound like just an infrastructure project, it’s really an opportunity to create a conduit of compassion in our community, helping BHH touch the lives of more children and families in Palm Beach County,” said Greg Hazle, Executive Director of Boca Helping Hands. “Since the acquisition of our current warehouse more than ten years ago, we have seen a 10-15% annual increase in the demand for our pantry program. Until recently, we found ways to meet that growing demand. However, with BHH now operating at maximum capacity, limited storage has become a bottleneck in our ability to continue expanding food distribution.”
In support of the Palm Beach County Hunger Relief Plan, BHH partners with United Way of Palm Beach County, which says that over 180,000 county residents struggled with hunger prior to the pandemic - more than 53,000 of those being children who went to bed hungry. They estimate that the number of food-insecure people in the county has now increased to 300,000 due to COVID-19.
In part, this warehouse facility should be a celebration of Arthur J. Remillard, Jr., who not only enabled Boca Helping Hands secure its original building in 2010, the Remillard Resource Center, but also played a key part in this final acquisition due to all of his generosity.
Gary Peters, Board President of Boca Helping Hands said, “Mr. Remillard really believed in our mission and wanted us to find a new building so we could expand, saying, ‘You’ve got to hurry up. I don’t have a lot of time.’”
BHH has seen a doubling in the demand for its food programs, with an additional 3,500 new families now signed up to receive pantry bags of groceries. Most of these are working families who have been undone by circumstances outside their control, like client Rick C.
When COVID-19 began, Rick's hospitality business "was ravaged by the pandemic" and "a lot of people were laid off." His wife works in the medical industry and also had mandatory shutdowns, so she wasn't able to work. "We are very proud people and we have never looked for assistance from anyone - we were always the ones giving. But now we had nowhere to turn," he said. “Boca Helping Hands helped us keep our dignity.”
Increasing BHH’s food storage capacity will significantly improve the organization’s ability to expand its adult and children’s feeding programs and maintain growth at its distribution points in Boca Raton, West Boca, Boynton Beach and Lantana. Completion of the project is even more essential now, given the extraordinary increase in demand - and subsequent increase in food distribution - due to COVID-19.
“For the many working families who use our program to supplement their income, this may help them to keep their lights on, take their kids to the doctor, or pay for other necessities,” Hazle said.
Interior demolition work began inside the old Warehouse Pub building on Sept. 7. Electrical wiring is now complete, installation of a new roof is underway, and the refrigerator and freezer will be installed in mid-December. When finished, the updated structure will be a hurricane-rated and secure storage building, as well as an additional space for BHH volunteers to help sort and package food for distribution.
Major project supporters include the Remillard Family Foundation, the Leslie L. Alexander Foundation, the Freed Foundation, Michelle and Michael Hagerty, the Lawrence A. Sanders Foundation, the Miner Family Charitable Fund, Karen and Murray Dalfen, Jana and Timothy Davidson, the Goldberg Family Foundation, Goody Two Shoes (in memory of Adelaide Schnittman), and Lewis and Leilani Miller. United Way of Palm Beach County, in partnership with Palm Beach County Food Bank, provided funding for the freezer and refrigeration unit for the expanded Warehouse space, and BHH was also awarded a merit grant from Impact 100 Palm Beach County in May.
While the project is about two-thirds complete, Boca Helping Hands is continuing to feed more people in the community than ever before. All general contributions made now through Dec. 31 will be matched up to $375,000. For more information, please contact Karen Swedenborg at 561-417-0913, ext. 202 or visit bocahelpinghands.org.
