Facing a Dec. 31 deadline to commit federal grant funds or return them, the Bulloch County Board of Commissioners and Statesboro City Council in the last week boosted their ARPA-fund contributions to completion of the Statesboro Food Bank’s new building by a combined $432,000.

Now, the federal government under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 will, at the discretion of the two local governments, have supplied more than $1.75 million for local charitable nonprofit Food Bank Inc. to purchase the site and build the building.

“None of this money, not one penny, is going into buying food, paying the light bills, doing any of the things it takes to run the Food Bank to provide those services,” said Sheila Stewart-Leach, the Food Bank Inc. executive director. “It’s all construction, and if there’s any money left over toward what just given to us, we had to take out a construction loan, and it will be going to help get that burden off of the Food Bank.”

Earlier this year the organization took out an “up to $300,000” loan toward the $2.1 million construction and equipment cost, but has not used the full amount of the loan, she said. Called for an interview Thursday, Stewart-Leach was emphasizing that Food Bank Inc. will still need to raise more money, on a continuing basis, to provide the planned services.

Originally, the city of Statesboro and the county each committed $500,000, for a total of $1 million, from ARPA funds to the Food Bank project. Both increased their contributions in June of this year.

Of the city’s original contribution, $240,000 went to purchase the 3.75-acre site, between the Miller Street and West Parrish Street intersections on Northside Drive West, in mid-2022, and the city retains formal ownership of the property. Building the complex envisioned by the Food Bank Inc. board and staff has cost about $2.1 million and is not fully complete.

The staff and volunteers began distributing prepare-at-home food to people in need from the rear portion, the 6,500-square-foot Joe Bill Brannon Pantry, in June and held a ribbon cutting – with appeal for further funds, in July. But work remained – and still remains – to be done to complete the 5,500-square-foot front portion with its offices and reception area, classrooms for nutrition courses and other programming, kitchen and dining hall for planned seven-day meal service.

Funding added twice

Last June, Statesboro City Council had agreed to provide an additional $250,000, originally from interest earned on its ARPA deposits, to help finish the building.  Meanwhile, the county provided another $70,000 directly from its ARPA funds for the facility.

Now, on the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 17, the Bulloch County commissioners unanimously agreed to a recommendation from county staff to provide an additional $252,000 for the Food Bank project, not from interest but directly from previously uncommitted ARPA funds.

That same evening, Statesboro City Council took two actions, already on their agenda with city staff recommendations, related to the Food Bank funding.

First, a motion was passed unanimously to redesignate the city’s previously announced $250,000 interest contribution to a contribution of direct ARPA money. Although really only a “housekeeping” move since the principal and interest have been in the same account, this is part of the city’s year-end strategy to commit all of its ARPA grant funds before the year-end deadline.

Second, the council by a separate motion and unanimous vote allocated another $180,000 of Statesboro’s ARPA funds to the Food Bank to complete the building project.

Although Stewart-Leach and Food Bank board members had repeatedly gone to city and county staff members with updates on the construction and the need for more funds, last week’s added funding came as a surprise, she said in a press release.

"We are overwhelmed with gratitude for these surprise gifts," said Stewart-Leach. "This funding will allow us to expand our services and stand even stronger as a source of hope and relief for our community. It’s a testament to the trust the commissioners, city leaders, and our neighbors have placed in us, and we couldn’t be more thankful."

She told the Statesboro Herald she hopes the rest of the building can be completed by April.