Food Bank for Larimer County

Ending hunger is not a dream. It is a possibility.

Food Bank for Larimer County is the only America's Second Harvest clearinghouse(collection and distribution hub) servicing that county. It was founded in 1984 by an associate of AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America(VISTA).

The CEO reports to a Board of Directors which consists of business and community leaders.

The 32,000 square foot hunger-relief headquarters is located in Fort Collins, CO and features 27,000 cubic feet of refrigerator and freezer space. In addition to a 20-member staff, hundreds of volunteers are on hand to sort food donations, load trucks, etc.

FBLC is listed in the Sociology Internship Handbook of Colorado State University. When opportunities are made available, interns could be engaged in the areas of fundraising, survey administration, service assessment, event planning, etc. Volunteer Match has also listed opportunities at the food bank.

Charity Navigator gave FBLC a four-star rating.

According to a ColoradoTown.com Announcement Listing, once qualified, FBLC food donation recipients would include low-income Larimer county residents, 5-year olds, and postpartum women.

FBLC has a Web presence at MySpace.com.

I added a review of the FBLC Home Page at StumbleUpon.com.

A hunger-relief listing by county provided by NBC 9 News features an interactive map through which one can attain contact information for various food banks and hunger-relief agencies operating in the Denver metropolitan area, including FBLC which is northwest of Denver.

Smiling community voluteers stand in front of the FBLC headquarters carrying boxes filled with food which they have donated to the hungry.

On February 27, 2007, the 10th annual Empty Bowls Dinner and Art Auction was held at the Hilton in Fort Collins where hundreds of bowls—designed by professional and novice potters—were auctioned off at the fundraiser—the dinner and auction raised over $55,000.

In 2004, Colorado State University sponsored the 17th annual Cans Around the Oval. That year's food drive brought in a record-setting 84,000 pounds of nonperishable food items which has made that hunger-relief event the largest of its kind in northern Colorado. The drive was not exclusively students; professors and faculty also knocked on doors, and sponsored various small fundraising events.

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Idaho Foodbank

IFB provides a listing that outlines how food banking works.

Food banks link donors with member agencies. Food donations are acquired through food drives, from farmers, distributers, wholesalers & retailers. Member agencies include soup kitchens, food programs for seniors, child care and rehabilitation centers, family services, food pantries & shelters. Those who receive food from member agencies include the unemployed & homeless, abuse victims, single parents, seniors, the handicapped & mentally ill, families living below poverty level.

IFB pledges that no one who lives in the area it serves will go hungry.

IFB's BackPacks for Kids program picks up where the school lunch program leaves off by providing backpacks and about seven pounds of food for students who may go hungry over the weekend otherwise. Regence BlueShield of Idaho donated $48,000 to the cause.

IFB offers service-learning projects to Boise State University students.

June 1, 2007 will mark IFB's ninth annual Chefs' Affaire—considered the food bank's leading fundraising event. Years ago, the crowd was fed buffet style. Since then, teams of chefs prepare five-course meals. This relieved the traffic jams caused by buffet lines in the past.

In 2006, Idaho's governor proclaimed October 16—20 to be Idaho Foodbank Week

Idaho CareLine summarizes a few of IFB's programs.

Volunteer Match lists several opportunites for local volunteers.

Charity Navigator has given IFB a four-star rating.

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Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank

The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank was formed in 1984 out of an offshoot of a coalition of local social relief agencies and churches. This in response to a rise in requests for hunger-relief.

Mission Statement: The Food Bank is a non-profit clearing house that gathers, stores, and redistributes surplus food to the needy. It is dedicated to eliminating a tragic problem—hungry people in a world of surplus food.

In the Spring Semester of 2004, the Louisiana State University's School of Human Ecology developed new recipes based on food items typically available at the food bank. These students of LSU's Service-Learning course #HUEC 2014 took existing recipies and modified them by decreasing amounts of saturated fat, for example. Then, in 2005, GBRFB won the 2005 Gulf South Summit Award for Outstanding Community Partner Contributions to Service-Learning.

In 2002, GBRFB, Greater Baton Rouge Federation of Churches and Synagogues, ConAgra Foods and America's Second Harvest have pooled their interests to pioneer the Kids Cafe of Baton Rouge. This in response to a rise in childhood hunger in the region. Also that year, America's Second Harvest presented GBRFB with the Excellence in Food Rescue Award.

Charity Navigator gave GBRFB a four-star rating.

According to GBRFB's 2004 IRS Form 990, based on Total Functional Expenses, their expenses were divided into three catagories:

• Program Services 98.63%
• Management & General Expenses 0.27%
• Fundraising 1.10%

Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank Financial Statements, December 31, 2005

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Food Bank of the Rockies

Food Bank of the Rockies acquires, amasses, then distributes donated food to over 900 agencies that serve Denver, Western Colorado and all of Wyoming. This hunger relief organization distributes an average of one million pounds of food per month to member agencies.

FBR's Director of Administrative Services describes how the food bank operates from the perspective of their financial and distribution software:

Everything at Food Bank rotates around the pounds of food sent out. This is tracked like dollars are in a for profit company. Report Master reaches into Accounts Receivable, Sales Order, Inventory, and Purchase Order to get data on the pounds distributed to each agency. The data is then keyed to an inventory number. Sage MAS 200 can detail who donated a particular case of stewed tomatoes, which agency took delivery, and when it was received.

The Sales Order module issues two shopping lists of available food daily. Member agencies select products from the list. Sage MAS 200 creates a picking sheet and volunteers pull the orders. Then, agency drivers pull trucks up to the huge warehouse doors and load up the food.

Member agencies are charged a nominal handling fee of $ .14 per pound, which covers half of Food Bank’s operating expenses. These fees are recorded as cash receipts in Accounts Receivable.

In 1978, this nonprofit was known as the Colorado Food Clearing House. At that time, food was being collected from one local Safeway store to supply one hunger-relief agency—when the whole operation was based in a 900 square foot schoolroom.

In April 2007, FBR received a generous contribution of one million dollars from the Gary Magness Family Foundation. The donation will be spent on the purchase of a 106,000 square foot building which will become FBR's new headquarters. With a larger area to work from, the food bank will become more efficient and effective.



FBR's Denver's Table project receives donations of food from restaurants, caterers and hotels.

For 25 years, Food Bank of the Rockies has been quartermaster for the armies of agencies fighting hunger every day in metropolitan Denver, northern Colorado, the state's Western Slope region as well as Wyoming.

—Drive, Fall 2004, Subaru's quarterly.

Panera Bread of Colorado supports FBR and Care and Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado.

Food Bank of the Rockies Total Functional Expenses entered on their IRS Form 990 for the tax year beginning July 1, 2005 and ending on June 30, 2006 was reported $31183148.

Functional Expenses Breakdown

• Program Services: 95.93%
• General Management: 1.07%
• Fundraising: 3.00%

Charity Navigator has given FBR a four-star rating.

The PDF for FBR's IRS Form 990 can be viewed through a free subscription at GuideStar.org

Technorati Tags: food bank, hunger, relief, organization, Denver, Colorado, Wyoming, nonprofit, charity

Food Bank for Northwest Indiana

According to the the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana's mission statements, the organization solicits potential donors—or purchases food directly. A standard of quality is maintained for fresh produce and canned goods, along with other supplies.

Through sponsored events, food drives, etc. the local community is reminded of the existence and importance of FBNWI and the many hunger-relief agencies that it supports. Such agencies—serving nearly 20 communities in Lake and Porter counties—depend on their hunger-relief headquarters to maintain a food supply for the needy.

This food bank, in turn, depends on the generosity of those who donate food and sacrifice their own free time through volunteer work. Typically, the warehouse of a food bank could always use another forklift, or hand truck—used to help move over two million pounds(p.4) of food and supplies that were distributed by FBNWI in 2004, for example.



On Saturday evening of March 31st at the Blue Room Cafe, two local indie singer/songwriters performed for the Northwest Indiana Food Bank Concert to help raise funds for FBNWI. Food bank reps were there to pass out brochures to raise awareness and inform the public of the importance of their hunger-relief efforts.

This nonprofit's end hunger mantra echoes the goal of all hunger-relief agencies worldwide. Since we have been told that the poor will always be with us, I believe hunger-relief agencies will exist in some way shape or form in every society of mankind for as long as man walks the earth.

FBNWI's IRS Form 990 for 2005 can be viewed as a PDF through a free subscription at GuideStar.org.

Based on FBNWI's total revenue—reported on line 12 of Form 990—this nonprofit hunger-relief organization spent 96.81% of funds(total revenue) on programs, 3.12% on administrative expenses and 2.81% on fund raising in 2005. I could not find a Charity Navigator report for FBNWI, but those numbers look like a potential Charity Navigator four-star rating.

Technorati Tags: food bank, hunger, relief, organization, charity

NACCO Contributes Refurbished Lift Truck to Food Bank

NACCO Materials Handling Group is a company which manufactures fork lifts, and donated a refurbished lift truck to a local food bank. God’s Outreach Community Food Bank will be operating the lift truck at their warehouse in Richmond, Kentucky. Before NACCO's generous contribution to the food bank's cause, all of the 40,000 pounds of food and supplies that ship out of the warehouse monthly, were handled manually.

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GOCFB is a member agency of God's Pantry Food Bank, which in turn is a member of the Kentucky Association of Second Harvest Food Banks.

The seven members that which make up the KASHFB are:

• Tri-State Food Bank
• America's Second Harvest of Kentucky's Heartland Food Bank
• FreeStore Food Bank
• Dare to Care Food Bank
• Huntington Area Food Bank
• Purchase Area Food Bank

Technorati Tags: food bank, hunger, relief, organization, kentucky, charity, nacco, warehouse, charity
The KASHFB assembled to increase the performance and efficiency of America's Second Harvest food bank members that serve the state.

Northern Illinois Food Bank

Northern Illinois Food Bank is a member of America's Second Harvest network of food banks. This nonprofit food-assistance organization was established in Wheaton, IL in 1983. NIFB hit the ground running that year—distributing 7000 pounds of food during the first four weeks of its hunger-relief history. A couple dozen years later, in 2006, NIFB distributed over 21,000,000 pounds of food. Currently, NIFB supplies more than 500 hunger-relief groups and organizations.

NIFB moved into their present headquarters—located in St. Charles, IL—in 1995. A half dozen years later, this food bank extended a branch into Lake County. Then grafted in another hunger-relief organization in 2005—adding Rockford, IL.

The Rockford Branch conducts the local After-School Supper Program.

What to donate...
NIFB requires nonperishable food items—mainly, canned goods and dry, packaged meals. Any donations like fresh or frozen vegetables or food in glass containers can not be accepted. Single-serving "heat-and-eat" meals are preferred. In addition, grocery gift certificates are welcome.

Kraft Foods contributed $17,500 to NIFB's cause in 2005, as one of many annual donors. Another yearly contributor is the Kroger Company(PDF).

A map has been provided by Northern Illinois University's geography department which designates hunger need by township in the northern section of the state.

NIFB takes advantage of Ceres, which is a program that has been customized specifically for food banks. This software streamlines inventory and financial data and typically increases efficiency by about 25%. This business solution was developed by Second Harvest.

Charity Navigator Report: NIFB

Through a free online subscription at Guidestar you can view a PDF image of NIFB's actual IRS Form 990 for the 2006 tax year.

Technorati Tags: food bank, hunger, relief, organization, illinois, charity, kraft, geography, niu, charity

America's Second Harvest

America's Second Harvest—the largest hunger stomping food bank in the United States—"secures and distributes nearly 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually," and "helps provide 20 pounds of food and grocery products to" the hungry in the U.S. Their headquarters is in Chicago and their primary mission is to create a hunger-free America.

"It's amazing how many people are being fed because of this crazy little thing we started. We're feeding millions and it is not costing anyone anything. But it scares me to look back because I just had no idea it would grow into this."

—John Van Hengel, Founder of America's Second Harvest, the nation's first food bank.

As the largest charitable hunger-relief organization in the United States, our Network serves 25 million Americans, including 9 million children, each year. But, more than 35 million people in the United States—12.4 million of them children—are living in food insecure households. We cannot make a sizable impact in reducing hunger in America without making significant new investments in our federal food and nutrition programs. The farm bill is the place to do this.

—Vicki Escarra, CEO of America's Second Harvest.

Each day, Second Harvest distributes 20,000 pounds of food to 170 hunger relief programs in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

—The Vindicator, Youngstown, OH, March 22, 2007

SH is in a partnership with ConAgra Foods. Through the Feeding Children Better program, ConAgra has brought together hunger experts to develop the Rapid Food Distribution System(second paragraph) which coordinates food procurement and distribution with customized software, Internet gateways, and broadband computer hardware. Potentially, this system could capture an estimated 200 million pounds of food that would not be available otherwise. In addition, ConAgra has purchased more than 100 trucks for food banks nationwide.

The glue that helps hold this enormous food bank network together is its inventory management software. More than one hundred member food banks have run Navision/Ceres inventory management software to streamline the huge flow of data associated with the vast inventory and reams of paperwork—evidence of the war against hunger.

"Prior to the implementation of the inventory software, warehouse workers would spend a significant amount of time looking for goods which can now be located instantaneously. The Accounting Department would have to correct, and then re-correct, invoicing errors and problems with the cost and price of the items. And the Program Department was unable to easily monitor usage levels by our clients."

—John Curry, Inventory Manager, San Francisco Food Bank

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During October 2006, 3,000 members of Twin Lakes Church of Aptos, CA accumulated close to 50,000 pounds of canned goods(fourth news brief). More than one family donated 100 pounds each. The food was delivered to Second Harvest Watsonville.

Each year, Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank of Duluth, Minnesota distributes 2.5 million pounds food and groceries from donations to more than 140 hunger-relief programs. They are able to provide relief for over 40,000 people in northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin.

Barilla held a promotion that sponsored $1, per each download of their Celebrity Pasta Lovers' Cookbook—up to $100,000. As a result of great customer response, Barilla shelled out $190,000 to ASH.

Wine Enthusiast magazine was behind the Toast of the Town held on March 29, 2007 in San Francisco. Connoisseurs chose from 500 select wines and spiritous beverages. Participants tasted the offerings of Bay Area restaurants. Proceeds benefited ASH member food banks.

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Donate to America's Second Harvest.

Charity Reports:

Charity Navigator
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
GuideStar

Image: Warehouse

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Food Bank for New York City

Food Bank for New York City—the only food bank in the city—is an affiliate of America's Second Harvest

Since 1983, FBNYC has distributed three-quarters of a billion pounds of food to "approximately 1,200 community and emergency food programs—including soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, Kids Cafes, low-income daycare centers, and senior, youth, rehabilitation and outreach centers—throughout the five boroughs of New York City." FBNYC receives "food donations from manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and government agencies." FBNYC feeds one quarter of a million New York residents per day.

FBNYC received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator for the years of 2005 & 2006 for how efficiently and productively their funds were managed.

Donate to the Food Bank for New York City.

This nonprofit's fund raising accumulated $36,533,368—subtract 3.6% for fund raising costs.

Charity Reports:

• Charity Navigator Report
• BBB Wise Giving Alliance Report
• GuideStar Report

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