REGIONAL FOOD BANK OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA INC
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Mission Statement
Regional Food Bank of Northeast Florida, Inc. (dba Feeding Northeast Florida & Bread of the Mighty) is the primary hunger-relief organization in the region with a service area encompassing 12 counties (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Levy, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Union) and 8,382 square miles. No matter the county, our mission is simple: eliminate regional hunger by sourcing and distributing nutritious food to people in need, building strong community partnerships, and educating and mobilizing the public in the fight to end hunger. We believe all 2.1 million individuals in our service area deserve the food and resources necessary to live happy, healthy, and productive lives. Through this, we use food as a catalyst to strengthen lives. With a 15-member board of directors, eight executive roles, 90+ employees, two warehouses, 500+ hunger relief partners, ~13,000 volunteers, eight feeding programs, and two anti-hunger initiatives, our organization works every day to fulfill this mission. In 2023, FNEFL distributed 34.6 million pounds of food (28.8 million meals) to over 272,000 food insecure neighbors across our region. For over 10 years, our organization has engaged community members, developed targeted programming, expanded partnerships with community organizations, and further increased our capacity to serve.
About This Cause
To fully meet the mission of our organization, we have implemented feeding programs and anti-hunger initiatives, designed to provide immediate and emergency food assistance while also working to address the root causes of hunger. Our programs and initiatives include: Stable Pantry Program: Partnering with over 400 nonprofit community organizations to increase food access in underserved communities at no cost to clients. These locations are fixed and open on a consistent basis, offering differing hours of operation to increase overall availability of the program. Mobile Pantry Program: Refrigerated trucks (26ft) deliver ~7,500 lbs. of fresh produce, proteins, dairy items, and dry goods directly to neighborhoods located in food deserts without access to adequate grocery stores (2 miles urban, 10 miles rural) or food pantries. These locations are not fixed but host distributions on a consistent basis. In 2023, we were able to host 1,876 mobile pantries. SnackPack Program: Partnering with 51 schools in Duval, St. Johns, and Putnam counties, we distribute packs of nutritious food, dairy products, and fruit to students facing weekend meal gaps. This program includes traditional SnackPacks, Snack Stations (offering customization), as well as Fresh Selects (offering nutritious options). In 2023, we were able to distribute 158,223 SnackPacks (each containing at least 2 meals) to students facing food insecurity. Feeding Kids Program: Similar to our SnackPack Program, this program provides after school snacks to children participating in extra-curricular activities in Alachua county. These snacks are intended to be supplemental to the nourishment the child receives through school meal programs. School Pantry Program: Partnering with schools in Alachua and Union counties, this program provides dry goods, meat, produce, and hygiene essentials to participating schools through stable pantries hosted on-site. Each child, or their guardian, can receive up to 40 lbs. of food, which is enough to supplement a family for two weeks. Healthy Pantry Network: Through healthy stable pantries and mobile units called Corner Markets, this program is designed to increase the amount of nutritious food available to clients. Where a healthy stable pantry is not able to exist, the Corner Market program utilizes two custom supermarket trailers to offer free shopping in neighborhoods designated as food deserts. A special emphasis is placed on healthy eating to combat diet-related illness, with a large variety of fresh produce and nutrition education available. In 2023, we were able to host 225 corner market distributions and 134 distributions to local medical pantries. Prescriptive Nutrition Program: A nutrition counseling program in partnership with local healthcare safety net programs designed to increase personal consumption of health foods that lead to positive long-term behavioral changes. This program offers clients the ability to work with a nutrition specialist for 6 months of grocery shopping at our free health pantries or corner markets. Disaster Relief: As a designated disaster relief organization, connected to local Emergency Operations Centers and Northeast Florida's Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD), FNEFL has distributed over 1 million lbs. of food and water to disaster areas since 2016. This includes Hurricane Matthew (2016; 275,227 lbs.), Hurricane Irma (2017; 315,432 lbs.), Hurricane Michael (2018; 30,558 lbs.), Hurricane Dorian (2019; 387,395 lbs.), Hurricane Ian (2022; 51,524 lbs.), and Hurricane Idalia (2023; 13,611 lbs.). SNAP Benefits Assistance: Provides in-person assistance to community members looking to register for federal food assistance programs, such as SNAP, WIC, or others. This program has helped generate $170,816 in SNAP benefits, $263,057 in local economic impacts, and 52,078 meals for over 100 individuals. Anti-Hunger Advocacy: Our advocacy department works to address the root causes of hunger through community outreach and coalition building, designed to engage our neighbors with lived experience and center their voices in decision-making processes. In 2023, the Advocacy team grew significantly and welcomed a new full-time advocacy coordinator, two anti-hunger community organizers, brought a community member with lived experience to speak at the White House, met with elected officials to discuss food policy, and hosted multiple roundtables to involve our neighbors in the fight to end regional hunger.