Using advanced tools for site selection, planning, construction, and operation, Warehouses4Good will provide a national service for logistics infrastructure development in rural areas. Although these facilities can substantially benefit the communities where they are built, they typically are not large enough to attract private investment. Further, the facility’s users often do not qualify for financing. In those cases, a philanthropy-based approach is the only viable option.
A facility costing about $850,000 to build and equip can support annual delivery of more than 8 million meals. During the 30‑year life of the building, one warehouse can support deliveries of more than $250 million – an impact of 300:1 on the initial investment.
Warehouses4Good facilities will increase the capacity and integrity of the nation’s food supply chain by:
- Receiving and managing full truckloads, reducing freight and handling costs for food hubs, co-operatives, and hunger relief agencies
- Providing safe and secure storage for local pantries, increasing the variety, nutritional value, and quantity of products available to rural food-insecure families
- Providing working space to assemble family meal packs, school backpacks, etc.
- Supporting more frequent distribution events serving multiple agencies and hundreds of families
- Establishing a focal point for local agencies, enhancing collaboration and cross-sector problem-solving
- Supporting other community-building activities such as an outbound logistics hub or receiving construction materials for non-profit rebuilding efforts
- Serving as a forward stockpiling point or distribution pod for disaster response
Warehouses4Good has set a target of 100 warehouses in eight years, estimated at $95 million development and operation cost (e.g., land, building, equipment, warehouse operations, and program management).
