Alameda Food Bank's new facility helps nonprofit handle surging demand
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- 3 min read
San Francisco Business Times | March 20, 2026
By Neil Gonzales
Editor's note: The following deal was honored as part of the 2025 Bay Area Real Estate Deals of the Year.
East Bay Community Impact
Alameda Food Bank expansion
The construction of Alameda Food Bank's new home, a 19,000-square-foot complex, reinforced the nearly 50-year-old nonprofit's fight against food insecurity in the East Bay city and beyond.
The approximately $11 million project opened in October, about a year after breaking ground, delivering the food bank’s new base of operations at 677 W. Ranger Ave. just across the street from its former site.
“This project was essential,” said Teale Harden, the food bank’s executive director. “For nearly 50 years, Alameda Food Bank operated out of borrowed, improvised spaces that were not designed for food distribution. Those spaces limited how much food we could accept, how safely we could store it and how well we could serve our neighbors, especially as need surged during the pandemic and beyond.”
The development on land bought from the city consists of a newly constructed 10,000-square-foot warehouse and the renovation of an existing 9,000-square-foot building.
“The two structures look and act as a single building even though one was existing and one was built during this project,” Harden said.
The new space has increased food-storage capacity by more than 20%, according to Harden. That includes significantly expanded cold storage for fresh produce and meat.
“The added capacity of our new facility allows us to accept more perishable donations, reduce food waste and redistribute surplus to other Bay Area organizations that do not have the infrastructure to store perishable foods,” Harden said.
The expansion also continues to support the food bank’s Island Community Market, Harden said, a Trader Joe’s-style storefront where clients can now find improved food selection and an easier logistical experience when using the facility. In addition, there is space for partner organizations to offer on-site support for services like housing, health care and employment to food bank users.
Project contractor Pankow Builders described the work as incorporating deep-soil foundations, upgraded utility services and other elements to ensure long-lasting durability and efficiency.
“We gained a deep appreciation for the vital service the Alameda Food Bank provides while working alongside their team through the design and construction of their new facility,” Wally Naylor, project executive at Pankow, said in a news release.
The outcome significantly boosts the food bank’s capability to support families throughout Alameda County. And arrives at a time of critical need.
“Food insecurity has grown sharply since the pandemic due to rising food prices, housing costs, health care expenses and gaps in safety-net supports like SNAP,” Harden said, referring to the federal food-assistance program.
According to Harden, in 2025 the food bank saw a 26% year-over-year increase in households seeking assistance and a 37% jump in food distributed through partner organizations.
“We are now serving an average of 500 clients per day, doubling the daily average of 234 in 2022,” she added. “Behind every number is a household doing their best to stay afloat. The new facility ensures we can meet this growing need with dignity, efficiency and care.”
ABOUT ALAMEDA FOOD BANK
Address: 677 W. Ranger Ave.
City: Alameda
Size: 19,000 square feet
Cost: $11 million
Developer: SRMErnst Development Partners on behalf of the Alameda Food Bank
Contractor: Pankow Builders
Lead architect: MBH Architects
Engineer: Buehler
Law firms: Goldberg Real Estate Law and Monchamp Meldrum LLP
Published: San Francisco Business Times
