Who knew that one building could have such an impact on food donations for Lake Havasu City families?

Jackie Leatherman/News-Herald Photo Interagency Council food bank volunteer Bill Dewey helps load a truck from the new annex. Council President Rich Miers credits the new building for allowing the organization the space to take in more food donations.

Rich Miers knew.

The food bank at the Interagency Council is heading into its first holiday season after constructing a 4,000-square-foot annex to house food donations.

In the first five months of this fiscal year, which began in July, the organization has already collected 30 percent more in food cost than what it collected in some of its best recent years.

Miers, who heads the council, said food collections totaled $182,000 since July. In recent years, Interagency collected between $120,000 to $140,000 of food donations all year.

“Which is amazing,” Miers said. “Since opening our annex in February 2009, we are able to take in a lot more food.”

Previously, the food bank was renting a roughly 400-square-foot storage space. It saved for six years and constructed the annex on city property behind the Lake Havasu City Head Start on Pima Drive.

Miers also credits Wal-Mart’s weekly food donations that started this summer for its stocked shelves, produce donated by truck drivers, church donations and individual donations for this year’s holiday food boxes. He said the holiday boxes are all made possible by local churches. Telesis Preparatory Academy, a local charter school, donated nearly 1,400 pounds of food Monday.

But he points out that if it wasn’t for the annex to house the food, the organization wouldn’t be able to have anywhere to put the donations.

So far, all of the 225 qualified families will receive their holiday food boxes this year. Miers said he never knows until the day before Thanksgiving if last-minute families will have to be turned away.

He said the organization gave about the same amount of food boxes out for Thanksgiving last year.

The council provides food to about 1,600 families monthly, which is about 300 more families than last year.

Volunteers said more families picking up holiday food boxes were reporting losses of jobs this year compared to last.

Coy Aton, a Lake Havasu City resident, picked up his holiday food box Monday and said he has been out of construction work for a year and a half.

“Now I need their help,” he said. “Interagency helps us out a lot. They help out a lot of people I know.”

In addition to the food bank, the council provides other social services and support programs.

“We just need (food donations) to keep coming in,” he said. “Our heaviest time is through the holidays, but we need to make sure that we have food to last three to four months. It has been phenomenal what we have seen so far from this community.”

You may contact the reporter at jleatherman@havasunews.com.