Churches United has struck a purchase agreement to buy a 60,000-square-foot Coca-Cola sales center on four acres in north Moorhead, with plans to turn the former beverage warehouse into a larger home for its food pantry and an expanded family shelter. The nonprofit announced the deal during a fundraising event Thursday evening, and the current agreement calls for closing at the end of June 2027.
The property sits in north Moorhead, across the street from the organization's Micah's Mission shelter, according to Valley News Live. Churches United is the nonprofit that already oversees Micah's Mission, the Dorothy Day Food Pantry, and Silver Linings and Bright Sky Apartments, according to Churches United. The warehouse deal, as reported by InForum, would give the organization room to relocate the Dorothy Day Food Pantry out of its current Main Avenue space and into the warehouse, adding more indoor waiting room, a larger parking lot and loading docks for semi trucks making food deliveries.
A Bigger Footprint for Food and Shelter Services
Beyond the pantry, the plan calls for part of the building to become a dedicated family emergency shelter and intake center. The organization hopes the move will double its family shelter capacity while giving families their own dedicated space, per the InForum report. CEO Pastor Devlyn Brooks has said doing the work in the existing warehouse allows the project to unfold in phases rather than requiring everything to open at once, so some services could launch before the full project is finished.
Shifting the family shelter into the new building would also free up 40 beds for single adults at Micah's Mission, according to Brooks. Churches United has estimated the purchase price at under $3 million, though the organization has not put a number on what renovations will cost, and Brooks has said the project will need financial partners along with ideas from the community to pull off.
Shelters Already Stretched Thin Across the Metro
Shelters have been full every night, Brooks said. The Winter Warming Operation had not announced an opening date, per that same InForum report. The Gladys Ray Homeless Shelter also has a housing-matching process.
The Fargo-Moorhead Coalition estimated that 1,196 people lacked permanent housing in the area in 2025 and expected a similar number this year, according to MPR News. The outlet also reported that the region has seen a small but steady increase in unhoused people over the past three years, underscoring the pressure driving Churches United's search for more space.
Funding the Warehouse Project
For now, the Coca-Cola warehouse purchase remains an agreement rather than a completed sale, with the closing date set for the end of June 2027 contingent on the deal and fundraising staying on track. Churches United has not finalized renovation costs for the building, and the organization has said realizing its full plan will take major fundraising and strong community support in the months ahead.
