All Faiths Food Bank, Inc.

To feed the hungry and educate the community about the issue of hunger in Sarasota and DeSoto County, Florida. Food is the most basic human need yet one in five children in Sarasota may go to bed hungry tonight. One in eight of our neighbors lacks enough money to secure adequate nutrition. For the more than 61,000 people are forced to make choices between food and other basic necessities, All Faiths Food Bank offers relief from the crushing stress of living life on the edge. Hunger is everywhere—next door, at work, on the playground, and among our returning veterans. We are feeding a record number of people and today's climate suggests that the need will continue to be high for a very long time. All Faiths must find a way to meet this growing demand. All Faiths Food Bank is a member of Feeding America and the hub of the hunger relief system in our two-county area. Last year, we distributed 6.2 million pounds of food equating to .25 million meals through 180 partner agencies and programs. An organizational priority is to feed all low-income, at-risk children three meals a day and a snack to help them learn, develop and perform better in school, and ultimately break the cycle of poverty. We have several nutrition education programs at local schools including BackPack Kids that send students home on Fridays so they can eat over the weekend, Cooking Matters that teaches students how to cook and make healthy food choices, Hunger 101, Growing Healthy Kids, and Kids Cafe in conjunction with other after-school programs. Most recently, we've acquired a fresh produce truck named "Spout" that will distribute seasonal fruits and vegetables regularly to families in need.

How We Work DONATIONS ARE MADE: All Faiths Food Bank secures donations from the food and grocery industries, government agencies, food drives, local growers, individuals and other organizations. FOOD IS INSPECTED AND DISTRIBUTED: All Faiths Food Bank inspects donated food, ensures safe storage and reliable distribution to where it is needed most. FOOD REACHES THOSE IN NEED: Food is provided to people in need at food pantries, soup kitchens, schools, veterans' programs, youth organizations, senior centers, and emergency shelters. FOOD SOURCES TOTAL OVER 5 MILLION MEALS: All Faiths Food Bank relies on 3 primary areas to create a source of food for its 180 partner agencies and programs across the two counties we serve. Donations make up 80% of our food sources In an effort build awareness about hunger, which in turn increases donations of food and funds, a marketing and communications position was recently created and filled, and we are coordinating our public relations, social media, newsletters, and press releases to inform the public of the need for our organization to better our community. We also have several hunger and nutrition education programs for students, teens, teen parents, preschoolers, and senior citizens to help them learn to make healthy lifestyle and food choices, how to shop on a budget, how to read and understand nutrition labels, and prepare for a lifetime of healthier living.

As the only Food Bank in Sarasota and DeSoto County, All Faiths Food Bank is a highly efficient organization that puts 91 percent of all donations directly back into programs and services. We have built a stronger online presence that has consistently grown, and introduced our work to supporters who are online. We are updating our online giving programs as well, including implementing a "Meal of the Month" club for recurring donors. With the support of our community, we have garnered great online response in the form of donations and advocacy during special campaigns like "Hunger Action Month." We are increasing our outreach programs in the schools, for instance our school pantry programs are in 35 schools, an increase of 4 in 3 months. Our BackPack program has grown as well. We are able to send kids home on Friday's with food. This school year, we'll provide 90,000 backpacks to kids in need.

We have built additional relationships with national supply/grocery stores, increased our grant applications and improved that process, established social media accounts, and connected on personal levels with media outlet personnel. In order to more effectively service our clients and coordinate our efforts, we have established two new positions, a director of marketing and a chief administrative officer. We have secured an online donation and email services vendor, and brought our graphic art and social media responsibilities in-house, as part of our marketing responsibilities. We have raised funds to provide a special truck called "Sprout" to bring fresh produce to our clients on a regular basis. We partner with several local organizations that award funds and services that benefit our organization. We have a Veterans Program and recently partnered with 12 other veterans groups for a major online fund-raising campaign. We have not been able to overhaul our website completely, and in time we hope to correct that. A more user friendly site would make online giving easier for our supporters. We would like to be able to wrap our rubber donation barrels in an effort to build a stronger brand, and look less like garbage cans. Although we recently incorporated tracking programs for inventory and food distribution, a barcode system would be optimal. We are also working with outside organizations to help us build a better donor database, and see progress, but it is a time consuming process so we are not as far along as we would like to be.