TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) — The West Alabama Food Bank in Tuscaloosa is receiving a large grant in federal funding thanks to Congresswoman Terri Sewell.
She secured $13.1 million for 13 community projects in Alabama’s 7th Congressional District in the fiscal year 2024 government funding package.
“On behalf of everyone here at the West Alabama Food Bank, we are very grateful to Congresswoman Terri Sewell for donating those funds, and it will go a long way to help the communities that we serve,” Chief Operating Officer Sheldrick McNeal said. “We have a nine-county footprint, so it’s going to help us, and go a long way to serve those folks.”
The West Alabama Food Bank will receive $850,000 to increase distribution capabilities in Alabama’s westernmost counties and provide fresh food to seniors and children. McNeal says these funds will go a long way to help the food bank continue to help feed thousands of families who need good meals.
“We always say hear that food and hunger grows every day, so basically what we do here is to elevate hunger, and that is our mission. Day in and day out, we put out thousands and millions of pounds of food to our communities, so it’s very vital the work that we do every day,” McNeal said.
The West Alabama Food Bank distributes 100,000 pounds of food per week. In 2023 they fed 43,000 families in need. McNeal says roughly six million pounds of food is distributed every year.
