National chain renovates local charity

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Our local Community Food Basket- Idaho Falls has partnered with the Lowe's Hometowns project to transform its new building.

The new building was donated last year by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but still needed multiple renovations in order to serve the food basket's needs.

The food basket was chosen out of 250 projects nationwide to receive the Lowe's grant which covered all the costs of Thursday's renovations and then some.

"It was really amazing to see that Lowe's saw the importance of what we were doing and and how it was going to be a benefit to the community," Community Food Basket Executive Director Ariel Jackson said. "We needed more space. We needed protection for the volunteers. And it was amazing that we had a building donated to us, but we had to make it food and patron friendly. And they saw that we had that need. They saw the good we do in the community and they wanted to support that."

Volunteers from the community built new hardwood floors and awnings to protect their patrons and volunteers from the harsh Idaho winters.

"All of our volunteers, they actually work for Lowe's," Idaho Falls Lowe's Assistant Store Manager Billy Skinner said. "They're from around our same community right here in Idaho Falls. That's really what it's all about, is us working together with our community to to better it."

Thanks to the grant and helpful volunteers, the food basket was able to save upwards of $25,000 which they can now use to focus on feeding the more than 1,400 families they serve each month.