OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Food Bank for the Heartland opens new facility in Omaha off 84th and L to expand food storage and serve more families across Nebraska and Western Iowa.
- The new building nearly doubles the nonprofit's previous space and is designed to help the organization serve more neighbors across the 93 counties it covers.
- "We have much larger capacity to store food, especially cold storage food. At our previous location we were storing it in trailers in our parking lot because we had no room in our freezer cooler," said Brian Barks, CEO and president of the Food Bank for the Heartland.
- The facility, open since Feb. 2, 2026, also features more dock doors, expanded volunteer parking, and one of only a dozen protein repack centers in the Feeding America network.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Food Bank for the Heartland has moved into a new $37 million facility at 84th and L streets in Omaha, leaving behind its former home at 108th and J after seven years of planning and development.
The new building nearly doubles the nonprofit's space and is designed to help the organization serve more neighbors across the 93 counties it covers in Nebraska and Western Iowa.
The facility includes a volunteer orientation space, a work café, office areas, and a large distribution center. Leaders say the expanded capacity is already making a measurable difference in day-to-day operations.
Brian Barks, CEO and president of the Food Bank for the Heartland, said the previous location had significant limitations.
"We have much larger capacity to store food, especially cold storage food. At our previous location we were storing it in trailers in our parking lot because we had no room in our freezer cooler."
One of the most notable upgrades is a custom racking system built specifically for the food bank. Stephanie Sullivan, assistant director of marketing and communications for the Food Bank for the Heartland, said the new layout has already proven more efficient with fewer people.
"And we've learned just in the first month that 12 people can now do the work of 25 volunteers from our old location," Sullivan said.
Despite the warehouse being smaller in square footage than the previous one, the vertical storage design allows the organization to store significantly more food.
"Because of our ability to go 4 racks high, we're able to produce or store 25% more food because of our pallet positions," Barks said.
The food bank, which works with more than 500 partner organizations, has seen an 11% increase in households served. However, meals distributed have dropped by 14%, meaning more people are receiving less food.
Barks said the new building reflects the scale of that challenge.
"This building represents the size of the problem that we are trying to address in food insecurity."
The facility, open since Feb. 2, 2026, also features more dock doors, expanded volunteer parking, and one of only a dozen protein repack centers in the Feeding America network.
"With all these efficiencies that we've been seeing in a matter of 3, 4 weeks, I can't imagine what it's going to be like in 3 or 4 years," Barks said.
Leaders say the new facility is just the beginning. The nonprofit's focus now turns to recruiting more volunteers and getting more nutritious food to families across the region.
