AUGUSTA — The Augusta Food Bank could open in its new location on Mount Vernon Avenue as early as Nov. 1, in a 4,200-square-foot building that will include a two-story warehouse, a small office space, a roof that has been designed to hold a solar panel and a front section where clients will be able to retrieve their food.

After the nonprofit food bank raised $675,000 in a capital campaign, construction of the new facility has been continuing swiftly, said Al Smith, the executive director.

Augusta Food Bank Executive Director Al Smith talks about the possibility of putting a solar panel on the roof during a tour last week at the new home of the Augusta Food Bank. Staff photo by Joe Phelan

The builder, Lajoie Brothers Inc., could complete construction by the middle of October, at which point staff and volunteers will spend about two weeks getting it ready, Smith said. It’s located at 161 Mount Vernon Ave.

The food bank currently operates out of the parish hall at St. Mark’s Church on Summer Street. It’s moving to a larger space to accommodate the record-breaking number of families – more than 400 a month – who now use the food bank, according to Smith.

“We’ve outgrown our location,” Smith said. The number of clients seems “to go up every year, unfortunately. … A lot of our children are in need. There’s a lot of food insecurity.”

A precise count of how many people have used the food bank this year was not available, but the organization’s past data shows that the number of people served has generally been climbing, increasing by a third from the 9,302 served in 2012, to the 12,604 served last year.

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