Mike LaValley walks us through the design journey behind the new home for FeedMore WNY—an ambitious project built on one powerful question: How do you solve a problem like hunger? By structuring his talk around 17 guiding questions, Mike reveals how design can respond to complex needs with care, clarity, and community at its heart. FeedMore WNY, a merger of the Food Bank of WNY and Meals on Wheels, required a facility as multifaceted as its mission: a space that functions as warehouse, commissary, office, and outreach center.

From a cramped former home to a 74-acre site in Hamburg, the design process—spanning years of collaboration, coordination, and commitment—sets the stage for a more centralized, resilient operation. Mike’s talk is a call to action: it takes a village to build places that nourish, and we all have a role to play.