As part of our strategic plan, Operation Food Search launched the Healthy Food, Healthy Community Renovation Project in 2022 to strengthen our core mission and create new opportunities for innovation and collaboration. Completed in 2025, this initiative brings us closer to our vision of ensuring everyone has equitable access to healthy food.
Healthy Food, Healthy Community
RENOVATION PROJECT
This Project has allowed OFS to:
- Ensure more fresh, healthy food is available to our community food partners.
- Improve efficiency of our food distribution system.
- Enhance our focus on nutrition education, from the garden to the kitchen to the table.
- Increase collaboration and capture synergies, both internally and externally.
Our Supporters Made This Project Possible
We are very grateful to our supporters that helped bring this exciting and impactful Project to fruition. These campaign donors help ensure Operation Food Search can continue succeeding in our mission of healing hunger for as long as the need exists.
Project Highlights
Project Architect: Arcturis
General Contractor: Paric
New Markets Tax Credits:
Heartland Regional Investment Fund, LLC
St. Louis Economic Development Partnership
U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance
Smith NMTC Associates, LLC
Federal Community Project Funding:
Office of Former Congresswoman Cori Bush
U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
WAREHOUSE & PROGRAMS
Enhanced efficiency without compromising space or limiting growth:
• Racking space more than doubled, allowing us to expand other areas without sacrificing storage.
• Increased cold storage reduces our dependence on rental space and increases our capacity to store and distribute fresh food.
• Dedicated, temperature-controlled spaces support Food is Medicine, MetroMarket, and the Summer/After-school Meals programs, creating sanitary conditions for packing food and meals.
TEACHING GARDENS
The Garden Collaborative provides new opportunities to grow produce indoors and outdoors at OFS while supporting our community food partners (pantries) in gaining knowledge on creating and maintaining their own gardens.
NUTRITION
A state-of-the-art teaching kitchen provides space for interactive, hands-on classes for participants in our Food is Medicine, Community Nutrition, and Workplace Wellness programs.
VOLUNTEER CENTER
An enhanced Volunteer Center allows our more than 6,000 volunteers to pack food for pantries and programs efficiently while have fun doing it.
Campaign Donors
THANK YOU FOR SHARING IN OUR VISION FOR A HUNGER-FREE TOMORROW
$1 Million+
Anonymous
Enterprise Mobility Foundation*
New Markets Tax Credits
$500,000-$999,999
Anonymous
Berges Family Foundation
Federal Community Project Funding
$100,000-$249,999
Anonymous
Estate of Mary Baumann
Big League Impact/Adam Wainwright
Bunge North America
Interco Charitable Trust
Jefferson Foundation
William and Christine Linnenbringer
The William R. Orthwein Jr. and
Laura Rand Orthwein Charitable Trust
St. Louis Port Authority
Straub’s Fine Foods
Sunnen Foundation
$50,000-$99,999
Dennis and Judy Jones Family Foundation
William T. Kemper Foundation
Linda and Pete Werner
$25,000-$49,999
American Heart Association
Edward Jones
Paula and Rodger Riney
Tracy Family Foundation
Jane Tschudy
$10,000-$24,999
East Missouri Foundation
Give Back Brands
Michael and Kate Kupstas
James and Susan McHugh
Norman J. Stupp Foundation
$1,000-$9,999
Althea Albert-Santiago
Stacy Brandt
Erin Brooks
Laura Bryant
Nik Brym
Maxine Clark
Pepe Finn
Julie Hoff/Cultivate HR
Maria O’Brien
Josh Redd
Ellen Reed-Fox and Tim Fox
Gordon Reel
Steve Spratt
Jessica Stephan
Lawrence and Stephanie Westermeyer
Kristen Wild
Up to $999
Amy Altholz
Brian Beck
Hilary Harris
Bruce Madison
Lucas Signorelli
Dara Webb
*Gift designated to the Sunny Day Endowment
