Houston Food Bank tosses almost $3 million in fresh food after ammonia leak
Nearly 2 million pounds of food were thrown away.
Houston Food Bank is seeking volunteers to help with donations after it was forced to throw away nearly 2 million pounds of fresh food worth almost $3 million.
An ammonia leak Tuesday night happened after one of the fans used to cool a refrigerated area "caved into the actual unit," Brian Greene, president of Houston Food Bank, told ABC Houston station KTRK.
The food that was tossed was worth an estimated $2.7 million, Greene said. Fresh produce that was en route to the warehouse is being stored in refrigerated trucks as repairs continue inside the facility.
![PHOTO: The Houston Food Bank was forced to throw away about $2.7 million worth of food after an ammonia leak contaminated the refrigerated area.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/food-bank-ht-er-191120_hpMain.jpg)
Video taken inside part of the facility's 28,000 square feet of refrigerated space shows aisles and aisles ceiling-high shelves completely bare.
Greene said volunteers are needed urgently so the organization can continue to accept donations from "all over the country."
The food bank operates 24 hours a day and serves about 1.1 million people who are struggling with food insecurity, he said.