Kroger Funds Food Bank Warehouse and Distribution Center

The Kroger Co. revealed its plans to allocate a New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) of $15 million to support the construction of a 340,000-square-foot food warehouse and distribution center for the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

This will be Kroger's community development entity's first time supporting a nonprofit through its NMTC allocation to the food bank.

Plans for the initiative, which is part of the retailer's "Zero Hunger, Zero Waste" campaign, include about 70,000 square feet of cooler and freezer space that will allow the food bank to increase its focus on fresh foods as opposed to canned goods. 

The warehouse is expected to have the ability to move nearly 50 million pounds of fresh produce to partner organizations annually by 2020, which would approximately quadruple its current distribution of fresh produce. The new facility will also create about 85 new jobs.

Tim Brown, president of Kroger's Atlanta Division, said the move is a "clear step" in the retailer's mission to end hunger in its communities.

"We are excited to align with the Atlanta Community Food Bank in its initiative to close the food meal gap by 2025," he said. "By working together, this project will enable us to significantly impact the metro-Atlanta community through more balanced meals and greater access to healthier foods."    

Kyle Waide, CEO of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, said the allocation is a "comprehensive, once-in-a-generation, transformational investment" that will allow them to "mobilize the food, people and ideas, so that no one is hungry in our community."