Reed’s Dairy selling waffle cones on fire anniversary to support Idaho Foodbank

IDAHO FALLS – As the one-year anniversary of the Reed’s Dairy fire approaches, the company is giving back to the community.

On Saturday, January 18, customers are invited to buy a waffle cone at its Idaho Falls and Ammon locations. All the proceeds will be donated to the Idaho Foodbank in Pocatello. The store will also be serving free grilled cheese sandwich meals to the Idaho Falls Fire Department.

Owner Alan Reed tells EastIdahoNews.com this is his way of thanking the community for all the support they’ve received over the last year.

“The community saved us,” Reed says. “We wanted to remember the day, and we wanted to give back to the community somehow. We thought this was a good way to do it.”

RELATED | Reed’s Dairy production building a total loss following fire

The production building at its Broadway location caught fire on Jan. 18, 2024. It started around 2:45 p.m. and firefighters battled the blaze for most of the day.

When the fire was out and firefighters cleared the scene around 9:20 p.m., the building was deemed a total loss.

RELATED | Gallery: A look at the damage caused by fire at Reed’s Dairy production facility

The cause of the fire has never been determined. After a three-day investigation, one investigator told Reed it could’ve been an electrical issue. But the official report was inconclusive.

While it would be nice to know what caused it, Reed says it’s not something that keeps him up at night. He’s shed many tears because of the loss, but the overwhelming show of support from the community has provided him a great deal of solace.

“We had a fire and so we’ve got to go on with life,” says Reed.

RELATED | Reed’s Dairy building destroyed in fire earlier this year is being demolished

The building was demolished last May, and the empty ground was covered with blacktop to provide more parking space for customers.

Reed’s Dairy broke ground on a new 25,000-square-foot production building last June. It’s being built on the north side of the Broadway location. Construction got underway in September once the permits were approved.

RELATED | Reed’s Dairy breaks ground on new production building in Idaho Falls

The steel shell is almost complete and Reed hopes to have it fully enclosed by the end of the month.

He’s hoping the building will be complete and fully operational in September.

“We’ve got a contractor who’s really helping us out and he’s going like crazy,” he says. “We’ve got our fingers crossed. I think we’ll make it by September.”

Priest River Construction is the contractor on the building. Take a look at the construction in the video above.

Meanwhile, Reed and his team are renting a warehouse near the Flying J gas station on the south side of town to make cheese and ice cream until the new building is complete.

He can’t say enough about the goodness of the community over the last year. He’s inviting the public to swing by either location on Jan. 18 to buy a waffle cone in support of the food bank.

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