SOUTHEASTERN FOOD BANK

In the past 5 years, Southeastern Food Bank has accomplished many of its previous goals:•Increased its warehouse space at our current location in Ocoee, to 10,000 sq. feet to include a drive-in cooler and freezer. We have been able to add a fourth dock for semi-trailers with an overhead awning. •We received local funding for a paved outside storage area for excess pallet storage and well as a paved parking area by the main office door. We began a Mobile Food Pantry program to benefit home-bound seniors and the elderly in the community. Southeastern Food Bank continues to be blessed by receiving increased in-kind food donations through local food drives, food distributors and other non-profit organizations. In 2017, Southeastern Food Bank received a grant award to implement a Mobile Food Pantry program to aid home-bound seniors/elderly in the community. We have been able to add two key staff members: an outreach director and a grant writer/event coordinator due to increased funding supported by private donations. We have increased outreach programs through like-minded organizations that partner with us each month. Southeastern Food Bank partnered with One More Child, located in north Florida in 2019, in order to be able to serve the northern counties of the state as part of our expansion plan.

Goals and ObjectivesGoal 1: Improve the quality and quantity of donated foodObjective 1.1• Establish a relationship with two new state or national organizations that will donate quality food products to Southeastern Food Bank.Objective 1.2• Increase by 10%, through monthly donors and sponsors, the amount of dollars available to purchase food products in fiscal year 2021.Objective 1.3• Increase by two, the number of companies that donate food products by December 31, 2021Objective 1. Goal 2: Increase food distribution satellite, sub-distributors and outreach sites in Florida. Objective 2.1 • Establish three new SEFB satellite sites in Florida by December 31, 2021.Objective 2.2• Establish one new food sub-distributor site a month in Florida by December 31, 2021.Goal 3: Promote the full mission of SEFB through all distribution channels with integrity and consistency. Objective 3.1• Evaluate all food outreach sites to determine how to increase "sharing the message of hope" at each site by December 31, 2021.Objective 3.2• Provide each outreach site with training, printed resources and volunteers, when available, to increase the "sharing the message of hope" initiative by December 31, 2021.Objective 3.3• Organize a volunteer network equipped to enhance the "sharing the message of hope" efforts at all outreach sites. Goal 4: Grow the SEFB mission through expanding partnerships with other 501c3 organizations. Objective 4.1• Increase by 20% the donations received from monthly contributors by June 30, 2022. Objective 4.2• Identify and submit grant applications to two new grantors per month by December 31, 2021.

Southeastern Food Bank is proposing a State appropriations request of $1M, in the next general session FY 2023 to completely fund our outreach program expansion.  Southeastern Food Bank collaborates with many non-profit organizations and companies to provide free food to those in need thereby alleviating some of the burden of the state SNAP program.  State funding would assist Southeastern Food Bank's operations in procuring and distributing food to nonprofits in counties of the state to help with hunger relief programs.

Although Southeastern Food Bank has never received state funding, it is our goal to collaborate with as many organizations as possible to fight against hunger in the state.  Nearly 1.1 million children in the state of Florida suffer from food-insecurity; we are only able to help one-tenth of those children each year on our own. Southeastern Food Bank is determined to lower the number of families and children that go hungry by collaborating with organizations that help us procure and/or rescue food from being wasted.  We track and count all the families that receive free food from our warehouse and those partners that we collaborate with.