A New Day for HungerCare in Kansas
Kansas Food Bank, Cargill and Government Officials Break Ground on Cargill Cares Complex
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 23, 2006
CONTACT: Andy McGinnis, APR, (800) 577-5684
WICHITA, Kan. — The earth moved at a brief ceremony hosted today by the Kansas Food Bank and Cargill at the site of the new Cargill Cares Complex.
“What a feeling to see this ground turned,” said Brian Walker, CEO/president of the Kansas Food Bank. “From our original sketches to the architectural renderings to today’s groundbreaking. This is a new day for HungerCare in Kansas.”
HungerCare is a term coined by the Kansas Food Bank for comprehensive hunger relief. HungerCare functions like an umbrella, covering the needs all year long on all levels of hunger and food-insecurity. Proper HungerCare is a component of good health care. It replaces missing meals among food-insecure Kansas families, increases energy and motivation and reduces tension, depression, fatigue and slow development and other chronic health problems that result from not having enough to eat.
The groundbreaking was marked by a ceremony that featured remarks from Walker; John Keating, president Case Ready, Cargill Meat Solutions and board member of the Kansas Food Bank; Mayor Carlos Mayans, the city of Wichita; and Lt. Governor John Moore, the state of Kansas.
“I’m here today on behalf of Cargill Cares and the 4,300 Cargill employees that work in Kansas,” said Keating. “We are extremely proud to be a part of this new facility which will provide hunger relief across Kansas.”
The facility’s name is derived from Cargill Cares, an employee-led group whose mission is to assist in meeting Cargill’s commitment to the community through charitable contributions and donations, as well as to advise, support and assist implementation of volunteer opportunities for Cargill employees. Cargill Cares is dedicated to nourishing the people and possibilities that reside in Cargill communities and is a strong supporter of the Kansas Food Bank.
The Kansas Food Bank distributed more than 4.7 million pounds of food last year, providing at least part of a meal to more than 32,600 people each week across the state of Kansas. The Cargill Cares Complex will allow the Kansas Food Bank to greatly increase distribution of food. The new $5.8 million warehouse will also have more cooler and freezer space for perishables.
The building is expected to be ready by the end of the year. Alcon Construction is the contractor. Spangenberg Phillips Architecture is the architect.”