A groundbreaking ceremony is set next week for the permanent home of Bountiful Harvest.

The 501 ©(3) nonprofit organization provides food and personal hygiene products to families and individuals in Livingston County. Begun in 2011, Bountiful Harvest has been housed in the Brighton Community Center for several months since the organization was told by a local church that it could no longer use its basement, which was needed for other things.

The new building will be located behind the First Presbyterian Church at 300 E. Grand River in Brighton. According to spokesman Terry Simpson the 3,300-square-foot building will allow Bountiful Harvest to expand its services and increase its hours. In 2016 the organization served 4,311 families, nearly 12,000 individuals, over 3,000 children and almost 2,500 seniors, and distributed nearly 250,000 pounds of food.

$380,000 of the $590,000 needed to complete the building has been covered through financial donations and in-kind services being donated by local businesses and organizations including First Presbyterian Church, which donated the land and Brighton Rotary, which made a $55,000 donation with $20,000 in matching funds still available. Despite the funding gap, construction will commence to finalize the exterior work by mid-December, prior to winter conditions. It is expected that the interior portion will be completed and functional by April 1, 2019.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the new home for Bountiful Harvest will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 9th at 3 p.m. The public is welcome to attend and refreshments will be served. (JK)