It's been a good few weeks for local food banks. The Ballard Food Bank announced its new location earlier this month, and now the Greenwood Food Bank is preparing to move into a new, larger space.

The Greenwood Food Bank, currently at 9747 Greenwood Ave. N., will be moving seven blocks south to 9041 Greenwood Ave. N. this weekend. May 27 was their final day of service at the old location, and service will begin June 1 in the new space.

Volunteers of America Western Washington, which runs the Greenwood Food Bank, bought the building at 9041 Greenwood Ave. N. and will be moving its Senior Companion Program and Disability Services there as well to create the Volunteers of America Community Resource Center.

Lori Drabant, vice president of development and communications for Volunteers of America, said the goal is to fill the needs of the community while increasing visibility and integration of the Senior Companion Program and Disability Services.

Volunteers of America had been renting three separate spaces for the services. The new location will allow them to have total control over the space and have a better setup to handle the increasing needs of the community, Drabant said.

She said Volunteers of America hopes to redevelop the new location within three years. They are planning long term for the space to be able to serve the entire north Seattle area, she said.

The current Greenwood Food Bank, which serves more than 3,000 people every month, is small and not ideal for the food bank's purpose.

"We made a longer-term solution out of what had been a very short-term solution," Drabant said about the current space.

Patricia Leach, program manager at the Greenwood Food Bank, said she is excited that food bank patrons will no longer have to line up on the sidewalk and can therefore be treated with greater dignity and respect.

"That's my bottom line, bringing people inside out of the weather," Leach said.

The Greenwood Food Bank will have its official grand opening in its new location at 9041 Greenwood Ave. N. from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on June 11. The community is invited to attend and enjoy live music, refreshments and artwork from local photographers.