Alleviating Hunger in the Panhandle...
High Plains Food Bank
815 Ross St
Amarillo, TX 79102-3431
(806) 374-8562
(806) 371-7459 - FaxMailing address:
P.O. Box 31803
Amarillo, TX 79120-1803
zack@hpfb.org____________________________________________________________________________
WHAT IS THE HIGH PLAINS FOOD BANK?
• A non-profit organization that collects and distributes donated, surplus food to agencies in the Texas Panhandle
• In 2007, we distributed 4.2 million pounds of food (over 3.3 million meals!)
• The Food Bank distributes 350,000 pounds of food each month on average!
• The mission of the High Plains Food Bank is to Alleviate Hunger in the Panhandle
IS THERE A NEED FOR SUCH AN ORGANIZATION IN THE PANHANDLE?
• Over 61,000 people in our area live near or below the poverty level; as much as 70% of their income goes towards housing expenses and prescriptions for the elderly, leaving them short of food and hungry
HOW DOES THE FOOD BANK HELP SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF HUNGER?
• Serves as a central clearinghouse for efficient handling of available surplus food
• Collects, sorts and distributes available food to agencies that then provide food to individuals, children, elderly, and handicapped in need
WHERE DOES THE SURPLUS FOOD COME FROM?
• Local and national manufacturers, wholesalers, grocery stores and restaurants
• Local ranchers and feedlot operators
WHY IS THIS FOOD DONATED?
• It is food that can't be sold. A can may be dented, one egg of a dozen is broken, expiration date is close or the food has been prepared and unserved; yet it is still wholesome food when properly handled
WHO RECEIVES THIS FOOD?
• Churches, Kids Cafes, day-care centers, children's homes senior citizen's centers, halfway houses, pantries, soup kitchens, missions, and various other non-profit organizations that assist needy people in the Texas Panhandle
HOW MANY ORGANIZATIONS (AGENCIES) DRAW FROM THE RESOURCES AT THE FOOD BANK?
• 165 non-profit organizations in 29 counties of the Texas Panhandle (in green below)
HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS ARE SERVED EACH MONTH?
• Approximately 205,000 meals are served each month through our onsite agencies
• An average of 7,600 families are provided with 10 days of meals each month through our pantry agencies
IS THE HIGH PLAINS FOOD BANK PART OF A NATIONAL NETWORK?
• Yes, America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network comprised of over 210 food banks across the nation. Second Harvest solicits donations from national food producers, coordinates national events, supplies food to member food banks and is the national face of food banks and hunger advocacy in the United States
WHAT IS A HUNGER STUDY?
• A comprehensive profile of the incidence and nature of hunger and food insecurity in the United States and in the Texas Panhandle.
• America's Second Harvest conducted hunger studies in 2001 and 2005
WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF THE HUNGER STUDY?
• 13,500 different people receive assistance in any given week through programs of the High Plains Food Bank
• 35% of households served by the Food Bank have children under 18 years of age
• 73% of client households served by emergency food programs of the High Plains Food Bank are food insecure
• 31% of client households served are experiencing hunger
• 48% of clients served report having to choose between paying for utilities or food
WHO OPERATES THE FOOD BANK?
• A volunteer Board of Directors (18 members)
• 14 paid staff
• VolunteersWHAT ARE THE MONTHLY EXPENSES OF THE FOOD BANK?
• $6,500 - utilities
• Freight Costs of $4,000
• $2,000 fuel bill for our trucks
• Monthly expenses total $65,000
WHAT ARE SOME PROGRAMS AT THE HIGH PLAINS FOOD BANK?
• Kids Cafes, programs in Amarillo, Borger, Pampa and Wellington where children who are at risk of hunger can receive a hot, nutritious evening meal
• The Food Connection, our prepared foods program
• "Meat the Need" and "Hunters for the Hungry", enables farmers, ranchers, feedlots and hunters supply much needed high protein meat products
• Rural Delivery Service delivers into 19 rural communities, at no delivery charge.
• "Produce for the Panhandle" brings in fresh fruit and vegetables
• Texas Second Chance Program is a collaborative effort with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice where inmates assist with our salvage program and receive forklift certification and other valuable training and skills to assist them with jobs once they are released
• Backpack Program fights childhood hunger by sending backpacks of food supplements home to help fill the gap of weekend hunger
WHAT KIND OF FACILITIES DOES THE FOOD BANK HAVE?
• A 51,500 square foot warehouse with 100,000 cubic feet of freezer and cooler space.
• Three refrigerated trucks and one refrigerated van
• Five Forklifts
• Truck high loading docks.
• A sorting and repackaging area.
• Prepared foods handling room.
WHO PAYS THE SALARIES, BUILDING MAINTENANCE AND TRUCKS?
• Private contributions
• Shared maintenance of $0.16 per pound from agencies that draw food from the Food Bank makes up 25% of our budget. 35% of all food distributed has no share fee-this goes to agencies free of charge. Produce and bread go out to our agencies without a maintenance fee. On average, agencies pay a shared maintenance fee of $0.07 per pound
• There can be no charge to the person receiving the food
HOW DO THE AGENCIES KNOW WHAT FOOD IS AVAILABLE AT THE FOOD BANK?
• A weekly food list is sent out to all 165 agencies
DOES THE FOOD BANK MAKE DELIVERIES?
• All local agencies pick up their orders from the Food Bank
• For agencies out of town, there is a rural delivery service that goes once a month to Hereford, Dimmitt, Perryton, Panhandle, Childress, Quanah, Clarendon, Fritch, Friona, Memphis, Hedley, White Deer, Shamrock, Paducah and Wellington; Tulia, Quitaque, Dumas and Dalhart twice a month and weekly to Borger and Pampa
HOW CAN I HELP?
• Organizing food drives any time throughout the year
• Monetary donations - for every $1.00 donated, the Food Bank can distribute $8.00 worth of food!
• Volunteering your time. There are a number of activities to help raise money, awareness, and products for the High Plains Food Bank, such as the "Together We Can" Holiday Food Drive, our Kids Cafe programs and our Golf tournament in May
WHY IS THE FOOD BANK NECESSARY?
When you put food on your table, do you ever stop and wonder how many people are going hungry every day? Those who started the High Plains Food Bank in 1982 decided to address this very issue
Through the monthly distribution of pounds of product, the High Plains Food Bank continues to aid over 61,000 residents in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles who live at or below the poverty level
The High Plains Food Bank can always use food, hygiene items, paper and household products, as well as financial contributions and volunteersWHERE TO FIND US
The High Plains Food Bank is located at 815 Ross Street in Amarillo. The Food Bank is exactly a half-mile north of Interstate 40 on Ross Street.
We would like for you to drop by and see us! If you are interested in touring the High Plains Food Bank, please contact Zack Wilson at (806) 374-8562. We will schedule a time for you to tour our facilities and learn more about how we help those in need in the Texas Panhandle!
If you would like to be added to the Food Bank mailing list, please contact us with your mailing information
