Food Bank of NCA - Annual Report

Bringing new opportunities and resources to the people and organizations we serve

The recent expansion of our facilities enabled us to increase the services we provide to the people of North Central Arkansas. I’m so pleased to share this Annual Report with you and focus on the new opportunities we have been able to provide. Our facility/warehouse space has increased our capacity to receive, store and distribute food. In addition, we have been able to increase staff to oversee new projects, and we’ve added state-of-the-art training centers for our clients and the community.

Here’s a list of some of the new or expanded programs during 2021:

• The dedication of the Glenn R. Brown Memorial Hunger Gardens means we now have nine such gardens produc ing close to 40,000 pounds of fresh produce annually.

• Our new volunteer space enables us to serve over 500 senior citizen households monthly with a 30-pound box of nutritious food through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.

• The Arvest Training Center provides training space for our staff, clients and agencies served by the Food Bank and is open to local businesses, nonprofits and public school systems. The space is also used for special

occasions from baby showers, graduation parties, weddings, church potlucks and memorial services.

• We’ve expanded education opportunities by adding additional Getting Ahead and Cooking Matters classes to our schedules.

• We’ve added new programs through our Lunch and Learn and Cook & Cork events.

• We’ve added two new staff members who are working with our agencies to increase their IT capacity, coordi nating volunteers and offering education to our clients.

CREATING COMMUNITIES WITHOUT HUNGER

We’ve experienced an amazing first year in our new facility, and we thank everyone involved in making the new facility a reality. We so appreciate our volunteers for their energy and enhancing the communities we serve with their giving spirits.

JEFF QUICK, Chief Executive Officer Food Bank of North Central Arkansas

Back row: Deb Charbonneau, Kati James, Jeff Quick, Allison Parks and Wes Nesbitt;

Front row: Tim Riggs, Teresa Sutterfield, Rhonda Stacks and Jennifer Billingsley.

BOARD MEMBERS

Jewel Pendergrass - President (Century 21 LeMac Realty)

Emily Reed - First Vice President (Attorney at Law)

Katie Shay-Schneider - Second Vice President (Farmers and Merchants Bank)

Scott Copeland - Treasurer (Arvest Bank)

Janice Fletcher - Secretary (Retired, Twin Lakes Community Foundation)

Sarah Bing (North Arkansas College)

Ashley Hambelton (Arvest Bank)

Paulette Hill (ASU-Mountain Home)

Dr. Reverend Randy Ludwig (Baxter Health)

Emily Reed (Attorney at Law)

Doug Richard (Walmart)

Jan Schmeski (FSIS)

Dr. John Scribner (Scribner Family Practice)

Libby Seftar (Arkansas Department of Health)

Don Sharp (Retired/Highland School District)

Rich Titus (Baxter Healthcare)

Kandie Walker (Viola School District)

Jeff Quick - Chief Executive Officer

Allison Parks - Chief Financial Officer

Tim Riggs - Chief Operations Officer

Kati James - Chief Program Officer

Wes Nesbitt - Operations Director

Jennifer Billingsley - Program Director

Rhonda Stacks - Program Director

Teresa Sutterfield - Program Director

Deb Charbonneau - Program Coordinator

Emily Reed, Janice Fletcher, Allison Parks, Jeff Quick, Rich Titus, Jan Schmeski and Katie Shay-Schneider

Dr. Reverend Randy Ludwig and Ashley Hambelton.

OUR PROGRAMS

Backpack Program

The Food Bank of North Central Arkansas’ Backpack Pro gram supports local organizations and schools providing nutritious foods to children over the weekend. One in four children across North Central Arkansas are at risk of not knowing where their next meal will come from and the Food Bank believes that no child should go to bed hungry.

Cooking Matters®

As part of the No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger in America, the Food Bank of North Central Arkansas partners with the national nonprofit Share Our Strength to offer Cooking Matters®, teaching participants to shop smarter, to make healthier choices and cook nutritious meals so their families get the nutrition they need at home.

Cooking Matters® at the Store

Fresh, frozen or canned? Store brands or premium brands? Serving size, nutritional value and cost per serving? So much goes into making good shopping decisions. Built from the success of the fifth week in the Cooking Matters® for Adults course, Cooking Matters® at the Store is a free grocery store tour, conducted by trained facilitators at local supermarkets. Participants learn basic skills that help make grocery shopping fun and economical. During Cooking Matters® at the Store tours, participants learn and practice key food shopping skills like buying fruits and vegetables on a budget, comparing unit prices, reading food labels and identifying whole grain foods.

SNAP & WIC

SNAP and WIC are public health and nutrition programs funded by the federal government. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also commonly known as food stamps) and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) assist low-income families and their children in purchasing healthy foods through an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card.

USDA TEFAP Program

The Food Bank of North Central Arkansas contracts with the Arkansas Department of Human Services to distribute U.S. Department of Agriculture Commodities to select partner hunger relief organizations in each of the nine counties served by the Food Bank. The purpose of The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) is to supplement the diets of low-income Americans, including the elderly, by providing them with emergency food and nutritional assistance at no cost.

Norfork Community Care Program

The Norfork Community Care Program began in 1982 to meet immediate needs after thousands were displaced from a devastating flood. The program’s food pantry and thrift store are all located at 109 City Hall Circle, Norfork, Arkansas.

Food Pantry

The Norfork Community Care Program Food Pantry is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. For the benefit of those visiting the Food Pantry for the first time, it is located at the back of the same building as the Norfork Community Care Program Thrift Store. Individuals are asked to bring their driver’s license, state issued ID, or a current utility bill for proof of address.

Thrift Store

The Norfork Community Care Program Thrift Store is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. The Thrift Store’s mission is to create communities without hunger in and around Norfork by helping people reuse and repurpose gently used items at an affordable price. Proceeds benefit the Norfork Community Care Program Food Pantry.

GRANTS

In addition to the grant funding listed below the Food Bank of North Central Arkansas was able to purchase $200,000 worth of food, equipment and supplies for 25 hunger relief organizations in Baxter County thanks to the support of the Baxter County Quorum Court during December of 2020. The Food Bank also received $116,799.49 during 2021 for food to be distributed across our nine county service area. These funds were earmarked for food purchases for our School Food Pantry Program (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) and for produce purchases (Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance).

GRANTS

Arkansas Food Bank

Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance

Boone County United Way Broadway Cares Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas State Farm Walmart Foundation

TOTAL GRANTS RECEIVED IN 2021

Core Distribution

TO

FOR

Food Bank Operations Food Bank Operations Food Bank Operations Food Bank Operations Food Bank Operations Food Bank Operations Food Bank Operations

During 2021, the Core Distribution Program of the Food Bank of North Central Arkansas distributed 3,640,360 pounds of food through 80 partner hunger relief agencies in our nine county area. The Food Bank’s Core Distribution Program is funded through two basic avenues: donations/grants from individuals, businesses, organizations, and foundations; and shared maintenance fees from our partner hunger relief agencies.

You helped provide 8,500

through our AT&T Patrol Pack Program

$9,734 $8,055.16 $2,000 $17,500 $37,786 $1,060 $3,000 $79,135.16

Food Distribution by County

Baxter - 810,927 pounds

Boone - 532,468 pounds

Fulton - 326,670 pounds

Izard - 223,996 pounds

Marion - 326,616 pounds

Newton - 264,099 pounds

Searcy - 145,805 pounds

Sharp - 659,182 pounds

Stone - 350,597 pounds

YOUR GIFTS AT WORK

Volunteer Opportunities

Seventy-eight percent of the food pantries in Arkansas have no paid staff at all! They rely entirely on volunteer labor. In addition to the countless volunteer opportunities that are available through our Partner Hunger Relief Organizations, the Food Bank of North Central Arkansas receives close to 20,000 hours of volunteer time annually.

Planned Giving

This program is essential and offers donors who have grown in their relationship and commitment to the Food Bank the opportunity to make a planned gift to the organization. These gifts are primarily in the form of a trust, will or insurance, but may also be in the form of cash or donations of assets such as real estate, stocks or charitable gift annuities/trusts. These gifts ensure the future of the organization and can become a catalyst for gifts from others.

Planned gifts can be mutually beneficial to the Food Bank and the donor, providing tax benefits and/or lifetime income for the giver, while at the same time contributing to the very sustainability of the Food Bank. Donors gain peace of mind knowing that the mission of the Food Bank of North Central Arkansas will continue beyond their lifetime.

Honor a Loved One Through a Donation

Making a gift to the Food Bank in someone’s honor is a gift that keeps on giving. When a memorial or honorarium gift is received, the Food Bank of North Central Arkansas will send an acknowledgment letter to inform your designee of your generous gift.

General Donations

Financial contributions are made to the Food Bank of North Central Arkansas in a variety of ways. Individuals respond to our direct mail requests, give online at foodbanknca.org or by mailing their donations directly to the Food Bank. As a 501(c)3, the Food Bank depends solely on the donations and grants of individuals, civic/religious organizations, corporate sponsors and foundations. Gifts are generally directed to the general operating fund which operates our core food distribution program or donors have the option to indicate specific programs to benefit from their gift.

Back row: Sharon Watson, Larry Brown, Carolyn Whisenant, Beth Strong. Seated: Ima Moss