Progress at MFB New England

MFB New England has been a blur of activity as we continue to get up and running. The past four weeks of activity have transformed our facility into a food bank.

After significant electrical work to prepare for our indoor cold storage, three 40 ft sea containers were maneuvered into place with only a few inches of clearance. One will be used as a refrigerator, and the two others for freezer space. Construction of ramps for them is underway.

Next came the warehouse racking. In only four days, a crew of three installed racking for more than 1,200 pallets.

With the addition of the fabric partitions, our agency welcome center is now complete. The operations manager's office in the warehouse will be painted soon. Plumbing work continues in our accessible restrooms, and bulk repackaging area. Concrete work to prepare for new overhead door installation for our agency drive-through is underway, but the door and new oversized dock doors are not available until January.

"MFB New England continues to feel God's provision as things come together," says Jan Young, Executive Director for MFB New England. "He has blessed us with safety and progress, and we look forward to obtaining a temporary occupancy permit in early December." 

Ten volunteers participated in a forklift certification course taught by Safety Aspects at our facility. Training on the proper use of our two electric forklifts and powered pallet jack is required. If you would like your name to be placed on a list for a future class, please get in touch with Operations Manager Brent Carl.

We have onboarded three volunteer CDL drivers and have several more in the process. We are still seeking experienced volunteer truck drivers for our tractor and 53' refrigerated trailer. A 22' refrigerated straight truck not requiring any special licensing is on order.

We held an after-hours open house for members of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce while MFB COO/CFO Eric Hodel was in town. Jan Johnson, a local financial advisor, was the winner. We are grateful for the growing support and interest of Manchester residents and businesses. 

MFB New England was featured on the front page of the Monday, November 15 edition of the Journal Inquirer. Click here to read the article. 

Eric's visit offered an opportunity for a special forum for our advisory board. We are thankful for this engaged and active group of volunteers to help provide strategic guidance and fundraising assistance. 

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