A grand opening was held Wednesday for the new $23.5 million Regional Food Bank Distribution Center in Montgomery, Orange County.

Organizers said the 50,000-square-foot facility will help cut into hunger across six Hudson Valley counties: Orange, Ulster, Dutchess, Rockland, Sullivan and Putnam. The center is expected to support roughly 400 community partners, from food pantries to soup kitchens and senior centers.

Supporters greeted the center's opening with confetti and provided hundreds of attendees with a tour of the facility. 

According to Gov. Kathy Hochul, nearly 180,000 New Yorkers are facing food insecurity. 

Tom Nardacci, CEO of the Regional Food Bank, said the need for a new food distribution center in the Hudson Valley has been is the works for nearly a decade.

“Our facility that we’ve had here has just been undersized for a long time," Nardacci said. "This is a day we’ve been thinking about for a long time, planning for a long time and we’re really happy that we’re here today.”

The project was funded through a $10.7 million CARES Act grant from the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal, a $3.7 million grant from Empire State Development Hudson Valley Regional Council and foundations, corporations and individuals throughout the region.