PIERRE — For months, Mitch Weiss watched thousands of pounds of food go into the city dump.

The Wal-Mart store manager saw central South Dakota families who were hungry, needing help, and he was frustrated. All that food was going to waste.

It took nearly 10 months, but Weiss and community leaders have found a way to get that food to the table.

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On Thursday, it was announced that Pierre’s new food bank will be in the old Pepsi building on airport road.

“It’s been frustrating,” Weiss said. “It’s something we’ve been working toward really since last spring when I met with Mayor Gill at the store and talked to her about our idea to get a food bank started. It’s been a long time coming and a lot of frustration seeing that product go right into the compactor.”

Each week, the local Wal-Mart throws away 2,000 to 4,000 pound of food.

In the time it took to propose doing something with that food to the likely beginning of operations in April, tens of thousands of pounds of food have been discarded.

“It’s a lot of food going right to our city dump and not into the homes of the people who need it,” Weiss said.

While Weiss readily admits the emotions that accompanied a project to establish a facility capable of distributing food to organizations throughout the central region of the state, he said he and others on the food bank task force knew the process wasn’t going to be accomplished overnight.

“That’s probably the most frustrating part — the time it takes to get this done,” Weiss said. “But we said all along we’re not going to do it quick and half-way.

“We’re going to take our time and do it right so it’s lasting and we have a facility we can grow into. The Pepsi warehouse is the facility we’ll be able to grow into.”

Those with the task force and the city said an agreement should be finalized later this month in a lease-to-purchase deal for close to the Airport Road’s building’s appraised value, around $500,000.

The building will join two others — one in Sioux Falls and one in Rapid City — that are run by Community Food Banks of South Dakota.

Though Wal-Mart’s proposal was a catalyst for the development, the food bank will distribute much more than the amount Wal-Mart gives through Community Food Banks of South Dakota network.

Nonetheless, Weiss said the former Pepsi distribution building, across the street from Wal-Mart, is in an ideal spot.

“You can’t beat the location,” he said.

The building also has ports for trucks and room for stacking materials. In addition, the previous owner, WP Beverages of Windsor, Wis., agreed to leave some shelves in the building.

Aside from finalizing an agreement and raising non-public money for the building, staff, including one full-time person, needs to be hired and equipment needs to be procured.

“I appreciate Mayor Gill and my fellow members on the food bank task force for all their help in getting this done,” Weiss said.