Central California Food Bank (CCFB) has started construction on its new Santé Volunteer Center, marking a significant step in the organization’s efforts to support its operations and volunteer base. The groundbreaking took place on Tuesday and represents what CCFB describes as a “capstone project” for its distribution center, which the nonprofit moved into in 2018.
The new center aims to serve more than 7,000 volunteers who contribute their time each year by sorting produce, packing food boxes, and participating in community feeding efforts. Co-CEO Natalie Caples highlighted the importance of this development: “Today really is the culmination of a vision and purpose for the space,” Caples said. “For us, it is really the capstone project of this distribution center facility that we purchased back in the summer of 2018.”
Plans for the Santé Volunteer Center include dedicated areas designed to improve volunteer activities such as packing and sorting food. The facility will also have rooms intended for training sessions and workforce development programs. A notable feature is the inclusion of what CCFB says will be the only USDA-certified protein repacking room west of Texas.
This specialized room was made possible through ongoing support from the George & Melodie Rogers Foundation. Since George Rogers’ passing in 2021, his foundation has continued to donate $1 million annually to local nonprofits as part of his legacy.
Since moving into its current building in 2018, CCFB has upgraded its infrastructure with retrofitted cooler spaces and an additional 5,000 square feet of freezer capacity. In 2020, office renovations were completed to accommodate a growing staff. The following year saw improvements to their produce pack line—reported by CCFB as being unique among U.S. food banks.
Earlier this year, CCFB finished work on its South Canopy project. This expansion has supported greater outreach through Groceries2Go—a program started in March 2020 in response to increased demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.
