One-third of the food distributed by the Chattanooga Area Food Bank is distributed in nine Northwest Georgia counties from the Dalton distribution center: Whitfield, Murray, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Fannin, Gilmer, Gordon and Walker. The food bank partners with 80 agencies and churches in Northwest Georgia that serve families struggling with hunger.

Last week, workers with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank and officials from local governments and local agencies gathered for the ribbon cutting for an expansion of the food bank’s distribution center on South Hamilton Street in Dalton.

According to data provided by the food bank, one in nine Georgia residents is food insecure, meaning they don’t have consistent access to sufficient healthy food. And two-thirds of Georgia residents have had to choose between food and medical care. The distribution center will provide 5.5 million meals during the next year to people in Northwest Georgia.

Improvements include:

• Increased capacity for refrigerated and freezer storage for perishables and frozen products.
• An increase in dry storage from 7,600 to 9,600 square feet.
• The addition of three dock doors to provide improved shipping and receiving.
• Space for volunteers and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) outreach.

The improvements were funded by a $2.4 million Community Development Block Grant from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that the food bank received two years ago. The food bank partnered with Whitfield County to obtain the grant. The county administered the funds.