More food will be available for Pierce County residents in need thanks to a record-breaking donation from the Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound.

The $320,000 grant is the largest gift received in Emergency Food Network’s history. It will fully fund a new 2,500 square-foot storage facility, which will be built in 2017 adjacent to their 20,000 square-foot warehouse. The new facility will have the capacity to hold an additional 140,000 pounds of food at a time, greatly expanding Emergency Food Network’s ability to collect, store, and distribute food.

“We are extremely grateful for the support from the Employees Community Fund of Boeing and their commitment to serving the needs of the hungry in our community,” said Helen McGovern-Pilant, Executive Director of Emergency Food Network. “With this expansion, we will be able to store and distribute more than 24 additional semi-trucks full of food each year.”

Emergency Food Network provides food to 70 food banks, meal sites, and shelters in Pierce County. Last year these food programs responded to 1.4 million visits from Pierce County residents in need. Emergency Food Network provided more than 16 million pounds of food last year to ensure that each time a community member walks into a food program with nothing, they walk out with enough food for nine meals.

The new storage facility will allow Emergency Food Network to seek out new sources of nutritious food, resulting in more food for the community in need.

For more information about Emergency Food Network and its mission “to provide Pierce County with a consistent, diverse and nutritious food supply so that no person goes hungry,” visit www.efoodnet.org.

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About the Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound
The Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound, known as ECF, is an employee-owned and managed charitable giving program. Since 1951, generous Boeing employees have contributed over $600,000,000 to local Puget Sound nonprofits. ECF grants enable local Health & Human Service agencies to purchase much-needed equipment, renovate their facilities and build new construction that directly benefit their clients. Over the years, the Employees Community Fund has funded $555,575 in direct grants to Emergency Food Network.