RESTORATION BRIDGE INTERNATIONAL INC

RBI’s is aiming to stop hunger and food insecurity in the communities we serve. Our organizational goals are as follows:
• Reduce social deterrents of health by providing over 520,000 pounds of nutritional food to over 60,000 individuals and children that are suffering from food insecurity monthly.
• Reduce the “Hunger Gap” by being the bridge between nutritional food and economically disadvantaged individuals and families that are experiencing hunger, creating more food access points in hard-to-reach communities.
• Every individual or family that is suffering from food insecurity receives the following locally sourced perishable food donations of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, variety of fresh meats, proteins, wheats, dairy products, cheeses and locally sourced donated nonperishable canned goods, cereals, nutritional snack bars, soups, crackers, cookies, pasta, beans, and rice weekly as available.

Restoration Bridge International is partnered with local food banks and 18 local grocery stores, to pick up/receive food donations and sort them at our in-kind warehouse facility throughout the year. On Saturdays we give out information of other local resources offering additional help to the people we serve; including but not limited to Palm Beach 211 Helpline. Our volunteer base contributes over 45,000 hours per year to help fulfill our mission, sorting food at our facility and preparing said food for pick up and/or delivery to our local collaborations and the people we serve. We continue to strive to meet people where they are, believing that no one should suffer from food insecurity when we can help by sharing what is available to those that are in need. We collaborate with local resources that share our vision of stopping food insecurity in Palm Beach County, Florida, however they do not have the means necessary to pick up from local food banks. They lack finances, refrigerated trucks and refrigerated storage space; RBI is able, willing, and grateful to provide all of these. All of us share the same belief; no one should go without food. It is through the collective of all parties working together that RBI can provide nutritional food access to help stop food insecurity and decimate the hunger gap in our communities, creating a healthy, stronger, positive impact in our communities and the families we serve. Our long-term strategies for our organization, include requesting food donations from more local grocery stores and national food corporations with local facilities, increasing the pounds of food we receive. Creating more direct food access points by expanding our direct service programs and collaborating with more local resources that are serving food insecure individuals and families. Funding for our organization has been sustained throughout the years from committed individual donors, corporate donors, churches, local businesses, and grant funds that have been secured from Foundations. It is our hope that more Foundations, businesses, and individuals will join our current financial supporters, food donors and volunteers in helping us build stronger communities by decimating food insecurity and strengthening families.

Restoration Bridge International (RBI) has been blessed to operate at an in-kind warehouse facility located at 7965 Lantana Road, Lake Worth, FL 33467 which provides us with 10,000 square feet of dry goods storage space and industrial coolers that offer 11,000 cubic feet of perishable food storage. We have 3 refrigerated trucks each able to carry 15,000 pounds, 3 transport vans each able to carry 6,000 pounds and 1 transport van able to carry 2,000 pounds.
RBI’s staff consists of our 4 full time and 2 part time employees: Executive Director, Dock Manager, Volunteer Coordinator, Administrative Assistant and Grant Writer/Coordinator/Compliance Officer.
We operate on a 97% volunteer base volunteers for our everyday operations, team leaders, driver assistants as well as drivers with and without CDL licenses (truck driving experience is helpful however not required to serve). We ask volunteers to be 18 years of age and willing to commit to a minimum four-hour shift and perform tasks involving physical labor, sorting food, and carrying heavy boxes. It is mandatory for volunteers to wear closed toe shoes and gloves for food handling, partake in our civil rights training and sign that they have completed the civil rights training. Daily over 7 volunteers can be found working alongside RBI’s staff. On Saturday’s we are grateful to have over 20 volunteers serving with us. In 2021 we received over 45,000 volunteer hours!
RBI’s current Board of Directors consists of four extraordinary individuals, all of which give their time, their business knowledge, their financial support and their hearts to our mission and vision to see hunger and food insecurity decimated in our communities. In 2022 they are committed to recruiting new Board members and have been expanding our reach through our strategic plan. They have diligently brought in volunteers to serve on our Advisory team, to include legal counsel, fundraising and marketing, budgeting, and operational oversight. We are grateful for their service and dedication to our mission and vision.

In 2001 Restoration Bridge International, Inc. (RBI) began with one goal to love our neighbors as ourselves. With a Chevy Cargo Van, one-ton Ford truck, canned and nonperishable food items RBI started out of a church pantry the size of a closet; two days a week to provide food for those that lacked the finances to provide food for themselves and their families. In 2005 RBI received nonprofit status from the state of Florida. Since 2010 we have been picking up and delivering in-kind food donations six days a week through our partnership with 2 local food banks and over 18 grocery stores. In 2012 we relocated to an in-kind warehouse facility and began a Saturday Pantry and Food Distribution program. In 2019 through Pastor Daniel West’s (RBI’s Founder and Executive Director) relationship with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office as their chaplain, was informed of a dire need in our community. As deputies were responding to emergency calls, they discovered that some families had no food in their households. Knowing RBI could help with this significant distress call, we launched a new program Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office “Families in Crisis”. This program has expanded to now include the deputy’s distributing food to the elderly, veterans and “at risk” youth. From humble beginnings our goal has not changed; to continue to stand in the gap against hunger in our community. Since inception in 2005 we have been helping to stop hunger and food insecurity by serving 3,170,044 individuals and children cumulatively throughout our 17 years. Throughout all our programs in 2022 RBI will create food access to approximately 737,552 individuals and children that are suffering from hunger and food insecurity. Strengthening families and individuals that fall in the hunger gap with nutritional provisions. We strive to maintain the highest level of efficiency in our operations. Our operating costs are 3% of our budget while 97% of donations received go directly into our programs to stop hunger and food insecurity. Cultivating collaborations with local resources that want to end hunger with us; we are grateful to be providing a basic human need, nourishment, and food security. Anticipated outcome is we will continue to serve people nutritional food with respect, and love.