BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) — The United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley broke ground on its new Volunteer Resource Center on Monday. It’ll be located right off Market Street in Boardman.

The 8,000-square-foot warehouse will be used to store food, hygiene products and clothing, and will be home to thousands of volunteers.

The Centofanti Foundation is donating $1 million to the new facility, and with Senator Sherrod Brown’s help, the United Way also received $1.5 million from FY22 Congressionally Direct Spending.

“We think that helping people in need is a very good use of the money that my brother left for us to distribute,” said Joe Centofanti, of the James and Coraline Centofanti Charitable Foundation.

The United Way will continue utilizing its main office in downtown Youngstown. Leaders say this new space is just part of the evolution of the nonprofit.

“Our goal is to support the most vulnerable in the community, and we’ll be able to do even more of that,” said Bob Hannon, president of the United Way of Youngstown. “We’ll be able to do more during the week now that we haven’t been able to do.”

The Volunteer Resource Center is expected to be up and running by June.