MILFORD – The Milford Food Bank kicked off its fundraiser for its distribution center Wednesday.
The proposed 12,000 squarefoot building will be located on East Emeline Street in Milford, just east of the railroad tracks. The new building will be directly across the street from the facility currently being used by the food bank.
Milford Food Bank Board President Joe Shetler said the goal is to raise $1 million. Construction is hoped to start in the spring.
“We’re just here to celebrate what God has been doing,” said Director Regg Beer. “Our verse here, it’s on our sign, this is a verse that our founder, Bill Troup, really established the mission on. It says, ‘For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.’ This verse really speaks to the purpose of the food bank.”
Beer said, in the portfolio that he put together, he said the food bank was the kind of thing followers of Jesus would do.
“We would be people who would give to the hungry and the thirsty and create a community for the strangers, create a community for those who were seeking community and seeking to be loved and to be known,” he said.
Milford Town Council President Doug Ruch said he wanted to lend a hand of support to any and all of those who have helped make this a dream come true.
“The fact that they can take food that otherwise would be (thrown away) and help people, revitalize people, that’s what it’s all about,” Ruch said.
Kosciusko County Council member Tony Ciriello said he was at Wednesday’s event to represent state Sen. Ryan Mishler, who couldn’t be at the event. Ciriello said, on behalf of Mishler, he wanted to congratulate the food bank on what they were doing.

“This is a tremendous effort to provide food to the people who need it within this community and the surrounding communities and I can guarantee you, we will support it in any shape or form we can. And that’s the words from the senator he told me over the phone yesterday,” Ciriello said.
Bill Doege, director of operations for the food bank, said the food bank couldn’t help people it serves without God in the forefront.
The food bank is currently supporting 183 food partners, which includes pantries, recovery homes, food kitchens.
“So we’re touching many lives through all kinds of different points in their lives “through the food that goes the food bank, he said.
The Milford Food Pantry is giving out right over 400,000 pounds of food every month. The food bank stores 7,000 square foot of food at The Papers Inc.
For more information about the Milford Food Bank and how you can contribute to the building fund, people can contact Doege by emailing [email protected] or by phone at 5743548450. You can also visit milfordfoodbank.org or check out thez Facebook page.