VALDOSTA — A South Georgia food bank celebrated its new, larger facility Wednesday.

Second Harvest of South Georgia held a celebration of its new building at 1836 Piedmont Place. The structure will replace the food bank’s current site on Harbin Circle, which was built in 1996.

“We are absolutely out of space,” said Eliza McCall, chief programming officer for Second Harvest. “The new building makes it possible for us to operate more efficiently.”

The new facility was funded by a mix of $5 million in private funding and $18 million in a Community Development Block Grant, she said.

Aside from increased storage capacity, the new building offers a Kids Cafe kitchen and a dedicated space for volunteer workers, McCall said.

There is also space for expanded or new programs, she said. One idea under consideration is adding a senior meal service, McCall said.

“There is a gap in meals that are accessible to seniors,” she said.

Second Harvest hopes to have the new facility up and running a year from now, McCall said.

Second Harvest of South Georgia serves a large portion of the region, including the counties of Atkinson, Baker, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Crisp, Decatur, Early, Echols, Grady, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Sumter, Thomas, Tift, Turner, Ware and Worth.