With help from some local groups, the River Bend Food Bank based in the Quad Cities is going to open a regional branch in Galesburg.
Josh Gibb, President of the Galesburg Community Foundation, says this will save time and money for the food banks in the city and Knox County because they'll no longer have to drive to the Quad Cities to pick up their supplies of food.
"But where it's really going to be helpful is for those counties further west and south. So counties like Henderson, McDonough, and Warren and Fulton - they also get their food from the Quad Cities, so now instead of having to go to the Quad Cities they'll actually be able to access the same resource here in Galesburg."
The food bank regional branch will be located in the former Rheinschmidt Carpet Center building, at the corner of Main and Henderson Streets. It'll share the building with the Fish Food Pantry which serves Knox County.
Gibb says the cost of fixing up the building isn't known yet, but he believes it will be the largest investment ever by the Galesburg Community Foundation. He hopes it will open by next January.
