The Tri-Cities Food Bank recently opened its fourth branch in West Richland, where it expects to fill a growing need.

The 2,400-square-foot facility opened Jan. 12 and is located in the Plaza II strip mall at 4096 W. Van Giesen St. in the former Golden Paradise tanning salon, just a few doors down from Thai City Restaurant.

It will provide food to those in need twice a week: 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays.

The new branch is near a Ben Franklin Transit bus stop and the building features enough storage to accommodate four chest freezers and two refrigerators.

Those who come to receive food must prove they live in West Richland by providing photo identification and their latest utility bill showing their home address, said Bill Kitchen, executive director of the Tri-Cities Food Bank. They can visit every two weeks and receive a week’s worth of food.

The food bank was left scrambling to find a new home days before it was scheduled to open in the West Richland Senior Center in mid-October. Space to accommodate two freezers and a refrigerator, as well as enough electrical outlets, proved to be a challenge there.

Food bank officials will be closely monitoring how many families visit the West Richland branch in the coming months. The food bank signed a six-month, $300-a-month lease with building owner Chuck Sheeley.

Sheeley said the food bank officials did their homework and he’s willing to give them a trial run.

“I gave him a smoking deal of a space to see if it’s going to work. I don’t do business in a normal way,” he said.

The longtime owner believes there is a need for such a branch.

“West Richland is an odd little town. We have one of highest incomes in the area with the all fancy homes on top of the hill, but there’s the old part of town with old people who aren’t financially well off and poorer people. It’s kind of a diverse economy,” Sheeley said.

The lease goes through July, giving the food bank enough time to determine the need and then possibly negotiate a longer lease or consider building a facility, Kitchen said.

Kitchen expects to serve between 75 to 500 families at the new branch. The Tri-Cities Food Bank conducted test runs in West Richland in 2015 and 2016 and found the need is evident, and officials already know a significant number of West Richland residents visit the Richland branch.

The agency also has seen a seven percent increase in the number of families served each year since 2006.

“We also looked at the number of students who qualify for low income breakfasts at Tapteal (Elementary in West Richland). That evidence was kind of shocking. I had no idea it was that high. That indicated we are not meeting the needs of everybody we should be,” Kitchen said.

Nearly 48 percent of Tapteal’s students qualify for free or reduced price meals. This means their families’ households have income levels below certain thresholds.  At West Richland’s other two schools, nearly 19 percent of students at Wiley Elementary and 20 percent at Enterprise Middle School qualify for subsidized meals.

Volunteers and food donations are always needed, Kitchen said. The new branch also is in need of a couple more refrigerators.

Call 509-582-0411 for more information.

Food donations should be made at the central office, 420 W. Deschutes Ave., Kennewick.