A vacant warehouse in northeast Salem will soon give the capital city’s primary food bank more room to grow.

The Marion Polk Food Share announced its purchase of the new 100,000 square foot warehouse at 3060 Industrial Way N.E. in late April. The food bank, which serves around 600,000 meals each month, raised $12.4 million to buy the larger building previously used by Don Pancho. The tortilla manufacturer moved into a larger facility last year.

The food share’s operations have outgrown its current building, which is 33,000 square feet. President and CEO Rick Gaupo said the food bank has to occasionally turn away food donations because it doesn’t have room to store them.

The new facility will allow the food bank to store twice as much food.

“Any food we get, we will say yes to,” Gaupo said.

The building will also provide a bigger kitchen for the Meals on Wheels program, allowing volunteers to make up to 3,000 meals daily.

The nonprofit is planning to move in by fall 2027, following renovations.

Those renovations will include knocking down walls, adding new windows, installing refrigeration units, improving bay door access and other infrastructure upgrades. They are expected to cost around $11.1 million.

Have a news tip? Contact reporter Hailey Cook: [email protected] .

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