'Footprint has expanded': Hunger Task Force buys 120,000 sq. ft. warehouse in West Milwaukee

WEST MILWAUKEE, Wis. (CBS 58) – The Hunger Task Force is growing.

On Wednesday, December 9, HTF closed on a 120,000 sq. ft. warehouse in West Milwaukee.

HTF leaders say they had been looking for a new building for more than a year, but the pandemic sped up the need for more space.

"It’s five times as big as our original location on Hawley Road in Milwaukee," Executive Director Sherrie Tussler said. "We need a building this size because our footprint has expanded so tremendously during the pandemic."

The @hungertaskforce is moving to a new 120,000 sq. ft. building in West MKE. The warehouse will eventually hold all food, supplies and staff. This comes as HTF has distributed 3.7 million pounds of food more to people in need this yr compared to 2019 (a 72% increase). @CBS58pic.twitter.com/2f48LfuOLn

— Emily Thornton (@EmilyThorntonTV) December 10, 2020

Since April, HTF has distributed 3.7 million more pounds of food compared to 2019 – a 72 percent increase.

Now, they are stockpiling food to help those in need once the CARES Act ends on December 30.

"Beginning next Tuesday, 20 semi-truck loads of shelf-stable food boxes that are pre-packed intended for destinations across the state of Wisconsin will be driven to this building so that we can manage after the CARES Act," Tussler said. "We’re going to continue to work to make sure that we can address the hunger in Wisconsin throughout the course of the pandemic and into the future."

Tussler said the new space will help them continue assisting people not only in southeast Wisconsin, but across the state.

"This is a future for the Hunger Task Force not just as a local anti-hunger leader, but the statewide leader and perhaps even a national leader into the future," she said.

In 2021, HTF hopes to raise money to build a freezer and cooler in the new location.