Krusinski Construction Company (KCC) has begun the construction of a 32,000-square-foot addition to the Loaves & Fishes Community Services Food Distribution Hub at 580 Exchange Court in Aurora, Illinois, following a groundbreaking ceremony held in May. The start of construction coincides with the organization’s Nourish Together campaign.
With this addition, the building will expand to 62,000 square feet, and will allow Loaves & Fishes, a non-profit organization, to meet the increasing needs of food-insecure individuals and families in DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will counties. Since 2019, food insecurity in the area served by Loaves & Fishes has increased by more than 50%.
“As our community’s needs continue to grow, so must our response,” said Mike Havala, CEO & President of Loaves & Fishes. “Nourish Together is about more than expanding our capacity—it’s about partnering together to ensure every neighbor has access to healthy food and the support they need to thrive.”
The 32,000-square-foot expansion being built by Krusinski will create greater storage capacity, improved distribution efficiencies, and enhanced collaboration capabilities with partner pantries through shared resources and co-buying opportunities.
The significant elements of the expansion project include
· the creation of new and expanded freezer and cooler space, 2,300-square feet and 3,200 square feet, respectively. This expands the capacity for frozen and perishable items.
· a larger depressed dock with more convenient and efficient access for deliveries by full-size semi-trucks and trailers, and
· an improved site layout that increases parking capacity and flow for recipients to pick up their groceries more quickly and efficiently and expands parking for associates and volunteers.
According to Kriusinski Construction, among the special considerations in a building expansion include increasing the capacity of the basic utilities—water, gas, electric—that already serve the existing building and now need to meet increased capacity. There are also critical junctures where the new and existing building tie together that need attention to enable a smooth transition.
“Those considerations are especially true when significantly increasing freezer/cooler capacity and for an expansion program that more than doubles the size of the original facility,” said Greg Krucek, Senior Project Manager, Krusinski Construction.
The construction work by Krusinski takes place in four phases:
· Phase 1: civil engineering work on site and getting a portion of the new East parking lot turned over so there is convenience for staff and volunteer parking that is close to the existing building.
· Phase 2: final stages of the civil work and the construction of the “expansion” structure, allowing the existing building to be used for continued operations throughout construction.
· Phases 3 and 4: exterior landscaping and parking lot detail to complete the new lot and transition the existing lot into the new design.
“The phasing of the project has been designed and will be executed to prioritize safety, minimize disruption to staff and volunteer operations during construction, and maximize the overall construction process,” added Krucek.
Loaves & Fishes, the largest food pantry in Illinois, currently serves about 10,000 individuals each week through its hub and spoke model, anchored by the Food Distribution Hub in Aurora and supported by thirteen community-based distribution sites, including a Grocery Market in Naperville. Nourish Together creates capacity to serve two to three times more neighbors.
As a leading construction firm, Kusinski has developed considerable experience constructing buildings and expansions for clients with food distribution facility requirements. This facility is designed with a Class III commodity classification.
Members of the Krusinski Construction team include Greg Krucek, Senior Project Manager; Siddy Gupta Katkam, Project Engineer; Paul Gabriel, Project Superintendent; and Erin Anderson, Project Coordinator. Other members of the team include Powers Brown Architecture as project architect and Cage Civil Engineering as civil engineer.
