The hunger crisis is worsening in Southwest Florida, where one in eight people – and one in six children – are food insecure. High costs of housing, health care, groceries and other expenses, coupled with cuts to SNAP funding, are forcing our neighbors to choose between eating dinner and buying medications, paying rent or making a car payment.
Harry Chapin Food Bank’s leadership, board of directors, supporters and volunteers aren’t going to sit back and let our neighbors go hungry.
In November 2025, we broke ground on a solution to the hunger crisis – a Hunger Action Center. The 110,175-square-foot distribution center and warehouse in Fort Myers will become the region’s hunger hub, a resource for more than 160 agency partners and 300,000 neighbors who rely on the Food Bank each month.
The Hunger Action Center will increase the Food Bank’s food distribution capabilities from 45 million to 80 million pounds annually of dry, refrigerated and frozen food. With a sophisticated inventory tracking system, staff will be able to monitor food supplies in real time using a computerized barcode system that categorizes inventory by product type, expiration date, origin, destination and other factors. Ten truck bays will accommodate inbound and outbound deliveries.
A key feature of the Hunger Action Center will be a food pantry where neighbors experiencing hunger can shop for fresh produce and groceries, an element of hunger relief not available in the tight quarters at the current warehouse in Fort Myers. Community meeting spaces will allow organizations to host seminars and classes covering nutrition, health, how to access food, budgeting for groceries and other educational topics, empowering neighbors and nonprofits to address the root causes of hunger.
In January, construction teams began lifting walls into place, concrete panel by concrete panel. Interior work will commence later this spring and continue into the fall.
Harry Chapin Food Bank has served this community since 1983, but 2026 will go down as the year that we locked arms with our supporters, agency partners and volunteers to truly address an issue that just won’t go away. Ending hunger, once and for all, is of paramount importance.
About The Author
Richard LeBer is president and CEO of Harry Chapin Food Bank, Southwest Florida’s largest hunger-relief nonprofit and the region’s only Feeding America partner food bank. Visit HarryChapinFoodBank.org to learn more.
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