The YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina is celebrating its association team's move to a larger office connected to warehouse space in the Soda Pop District of downtown Wilmington.

Housed in the historic Bottle Works building that was a former Coca-Cola facility, the Y shares the mixed-used building with several other small businesses, according to a news release.

The YMCA association team is hosting an open house at the new space, 921 Princess St., Suite 100, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 31.
 
The facility, which the team moved into in September last year, includes a 6,400-square-foot office and 6,700-square-foot warehouse. Ginny Dunn of Wilmington-based commercial real estate firm Maus, Warwick, Matthews & Co. represented the Bottle Works building in the lease.

The Y's association team consists of various departments that support the organization's membership branches and program sites across southeastern North Carolina, including food services, resource development, human resources, finance, youth services and more, the release stated.

According to the release, the food services department uses the warehouse to store meals for youth programming, including summer camp, afterschool and preschool, and the organization's summer feeding program. 
 
"Over the past few months, the YMCA has experienced tremendous growth and expansion of our food services program," said the Y's Chief Operating Officer Meghan Merritt in the release. "We searched extensively for a central location that could support this growth with both office and warehouse space. When we toured the Coca-Cola building and saw the vibrant development in the Soda Pop District, we knew it was the perfect fit for our organization."

The move from Market Street has allowed the Y "to establish a presence close to downtown, which will enable us to better serve and expand our impact across the entire community," Merritt stated in the release.

The Y's food services department is working on developing a food distribution center and installing refrigeration for fresh produce and meats, the release stated. 
 
The Y's new facility also offers more areas for staff, volunteers and the community to gather, according to the release.

"The Y looks forward to hosting educational workshops, meetings, and events at the association office to promote togetherness, learning, and well-being," the release stated.