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
broc@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 2009, we distributed 4.7 million pounds of food
• The Food Bank distributes over 425,000 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 68,000 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?
• 122 non-profit organizations in 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle and three counties in the South Plains area. Altogether, the High Plains Food Bank services 29 counties.
HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS ARE SERVED EACH MONTH?
• Approximately 175,000 meals are served each month through our onsite agencies
• An average of 8,900 families are provided with 5-7 days of meals each month through our pantry agencies
IS THE HIGH PLAINS FOOD BANK PART OF A NATIONAL NETWORK?
• Yes, Feeding America comprised of over 200 food banks across the nation. Feeding America solicits donations from national food producers, coordinates national events, supplies food to member food banks, provides funding opportunities 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
• Hunger Studies are conducted every 4 years
• Feeding America conducted hunger studies in 2001, 2005 and 2010
WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF THE 2010 HUNGER STUDY?
• 9,600 different people receive assistance in any given week through emergency food programs of the High Plains Food Bank
• 40% of households served by the Food Bank have children under 18 years of age
• 56% of client households served by emergency food programs of the High Plains Food Bank have very low food security (or have experienced hunger at least once in the past month)
• 67% of client households with children under 18 have very low food security
• 51% of households include at least one employed adult
• 63% have incomes below the federal poverty level during the previous month
• 56% of clients served report having to choose between paying for food and utilities/bills
• 52% of clients served report having to choose between paying for food and paying for medicine
• Click to view the Executive Summary or the full local report
WHAT IS FOOD INSECURITY?
• Low Food Insecurity is defined as reports of reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet. Little or no indication of reduced food intake
• Very Low Food Insecurity is defined as reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake. Hunger is present at time during the month
WHAT IS POVERTY?
• Poverty as defined by the United States Census Bureau: the Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If a family’s total income is less than the family’s threshold, then that family and every individual in it is considered in poverty. The official poverty thresholds do not vary geographically, but they are updated for inflation using Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes and does not include capital gains or noncash benefits (such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps)
WHO OPERATES THE FOOD BANK?
• A volunteer Board of Directors (20 members)
• 25 paid staff (5 part-time, 20 full-time)
• 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, 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
• Community Garden a fully organic garden utilizing "raised beds" to grow fresh produce for the Food Bank to utilize in its food distribution. The garden also offers an educational experience for volunteers
• 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.
• Five 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 122 agencies
DOES THE FOOD BANK MAKE DELIVERIES?
• All Amarillo and Canyon agencies pick up their orders from the Food Bank
• For agencies out of town, there is a rural delivery service that goes to each of the following counties: Armstrong, Brisco, Carson, Castro, Childress, Collingsworth, Cottle, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Donley, Gray, Hale, Hall, Hansford, Hardeman, Hartley, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore , Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Roberts, Sherman, Swisher, Wheeler
HOW CAN I HELP?
• Organizing food drives any time throughout the year
• Monetary donations - for every $1.00 donated, the Food Bank can distribute $5.00 worth of food (or 4 meals)!
• Volunteering your time. Whether it is in our Salvage Room, our Kids Cafe program or the Community Garden, you will find many opportunities. There are also 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 68,000 residents in the Texas Panhandle 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 Broc Carter 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
