ALAMOSA — Slightly more than two years after signing a contract to buy the former Atencio’s Market in Alamosa, the doors are opening again as the new site of La Puente’s Food Bank Network of the San Luis Valley. Not all the renovations are complete, but the food bank, 802 State Ave., on Alamosa’s south side, began serving the public on Monday.
“We’re very excited,” says Annalise Baer, director of the Food Bank Network. “We’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time.”
At 6500 square feet, the new Food Bank Network is double the size of the old location, which provides significantly more room for storage of food items. The space even has a large walk-in cooler, a big advantage over the prior building that didn’t have the greatest capacity for keeping perishable food as cold as Baer would have liked.
“It’s hard for vegetables to last in seventy or eighty degrees,” she says, “and when the Care and Share Network donated fresh food that was on the edge, we couldn’t store it for any length of time. Now, we can keep fresh vegetables much longer and nothing will go to waste.”
One of the goals of the Food Bank Network is not just to provide healthy food but to also support people in learning new ways to cook food that is more nutritious. With that in mind, Baer is also looking forward to the completion of the commercial kitchen. That space isn’t completed yet but will be by November.
“Using food that we have available, we’ll be cooking samples and passing out recipes where people can get ideas for how to cook the food they’re taking home.”
Another significant change that staff had long advocated for includes the creation of an inside waiting room (with chairs) where clients no longer have to stand in a line outside in sometimes inclement weather as countless cars drove by may wait to begin shopping. Baer pointed out that they now even have an electronic “now serving number” sign.
When asked if the project came in within the budget, Baer referred the question to executive director Lance Cheslock.
“Lance confirmed we were on budget and our budget took into account that we would need 1500 hours of volunteerism (both professional and unprofessional) to keep costs down. We ended up receiving over 2500 hours of volunteer assistance and 250 people contributed to and volunteered for the project.
“Per Lance, many elements of the project were sponsored by community help who purchased things for us or donated labor to us and the cost of the project can't be measured by just our finances.”
People who are living on little or significantly limited income have encountered significant challenges in the past year as benefits granted during the pandemic expired and inflation increased.
When asked for a current estimate of the numbers of people being served by the food bank in Alamosa, Baer responded, “Right now we are serving approximately 1800-2000 unduplicated individuals per month at the Alamosa Food Bank (or 800-900 unduplicated households).”
Baer uses the term “unduplicated” to report on people who access the food bank once a month versus numerous times.
In terms of individual visits, Baer says, “We are serving approximately 1300 visits at the pantry per month – that is, households visiting over multiple visits in a month.”
Finally, Baer highlighted how the new space will help in the administration of the Food Bank Network of the SLV, which comprises a total of 15 food banks throughout the valley. With the new space also providing enough room for the Valley Educational Gardens Initiative (VEGI program), this will be the first time both programs will be housed in the same building.
As far as what is planned for the space the Food Bank Network is vacating, Baer says, “We have a committee that is working on determining what we're doing with it, and we hope to put together a commercial lease for somebody that's in alignment with our values.”
Monday was, in Baer’s words, a “soft opening”, meaning the facility was open to the public but still under renovation. It’s estimated the project will be entirely completed by sometime in November when an official ribbon cutting will be held.
The food bank is open from noon to 4 p.m.
“The opening of the new Alamosa Food Bank is a huge benefit to clients, staff, and volunteers alike,” says Baer. “Our new space provides a much more welcoming and accessible experience for those visiting the pantry, especially with our new waiting room, accessible public bathroom, and renovated, updated space.
“We've already received positive feedback from neighbors since our soft opening on Monday, Sept. 30. Our staff and clients are unbelievably grateful to the many community volunteers and partners who worked to make this building a beautiful part of the neighborhood. We are proud to continue the building’s long tradition as a food provider and eager to continue to serve our community.”
