In July, Food & Friends plans to break ground on an expansion of its home at 219 Riggs Road NE. Residents may have noticed markings and construction equipment being placed on the property last week.

The new 17,000 square foot two-story extension will allow the organization to continue their important work and serve even more individuals around the region. The new addition will be added to the east side of the existing building giving them more of a presence on South Dakota Avenue NE. The extension will have both brick and metal paneling treatment. The site will have metal fencing and concrete retaining walls.

Recall that the expansion requires construction of a new 33-foot curb cut on South Dakota Avenue NE just north of Kennedy Street, providing loading access via South Dakota. Food & Friends kept a lot of information about the project close to the vest as they were submitting plans to District agencies for review for several months before releasing any information to the public about one week ago.

Link: Food & Friends Expansion Project One-Pager.

Link: Food & Friends Expansion Project Website.

Project Timeline

Public Phase: June 8, 2026

Groundbreaking: July 13, 2026

Construction: July 2026-2027

The interior renovation (Phase II) will be completed by early 2028.

There are a few FAQs on the project website related to construction. Construction work will be done Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Food & Friends plans to publish construction updates on the project website.

I have asked Food & Friends for a contact name and number/email for a construction supervisor, which is typically provided for projects in case of construction emergencies. I am still working on that. For now, Food & Friends is asking residents to contact them at expansion@foodandfriends.org with any issues.