Prominent developer pledges $1M to food bank

SARASOTA — All Faiths Food Bank, the leading hunger-based nonprofit in Sarasota County, announced plans for a $3.1 million expansion that will double its size and capacity.

The lead gift for the expansion project, $1 million, comes from the Benderson Family, according to a release from the organization. University Park-based Benderson Development is one of the largest developers in Florida, with a concentration of properties on the Gulf Coast. All Faiths will seek additional financial gifts that can go toward the project, CEO Sandra Frank says. The food bank is in an office park off Fruitville Road, east of Interstate 75.

The plan for the expansion, the release adds, is to buy the warehouse and land next door, which will add 40,000 square feet with a 4,000-square-foot freezer/cooler. All Faiths, officials say, has access to millions more pounds of donated foods, but not the matching amount of warehouse and cooler space.