FAIRBANKS COMMUNITY FOOD BANK SERVICE INC
Freely given food given freely
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Collecting local surplus food and distributing it to people in need.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Fairbanks Community Food Bank Service Inc.
Last year we provided food boxes, through approximately 100 distribution sites, to over 33,000 different people in Interior Alaska. 50% of those people are local children. We also distribute two USDA programs; TEFAP and CSFP. Both are federal income guidelines programs.
Fairbanks Community Food Bank Warehouse
We collect local surplus food and distribute it, through 100+ agencies, to the members of the community that need it.
USDA CSFP TEFAP
Two USDA programs serve Interior and Northern Alaska. CSFP serves elders over 60 years old who are income qualified and TEFAP serves those who are federally income qualified.
BONEBUILDERS
During the summer we know many of our children do not have sufficient food in their households, because school is out. The Fairbanks Community Food Bank requests certain types of food (kid-friendly) from our community and stores that food for groups in our community who volunteer to pack sacks which fit into backpacks. Once a week, in five locations, the food is distributed by volunteers to those children who enroll in the program. Last year we served over 300 children once a week with this supplemental food.
Food as Medicine
This program is for medically referred patients. It provides each referred patient with 6 pounds of fresh food (produce) each day/5 days each week. We are currently serving about 500 patients.
Where we work
Awards
Green Star Certified 2010
Green Star
Sharp Award 2010
OSHA
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of meals served or provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Fairbanks Community Food Bank Warehouse
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of pounds of food collected per year
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Fairbanks Community Food Bank Warehouse
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of pounds of food distributed in food boxes each year
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Fairbanks Community Food Bank Warehouse
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
On average, about 2/3rds of all food collected each year goes into our daily food boxes.
Number of pounds of food distributed to other agencies in Interior and Northern Alaska each year
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Fairbanks Community Food Bank Warehouse
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
On average, about 1/3 of food collected each year goes into the pantries of other 501C3 organizations
Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Fairbanks Community Food Bank Warehouse
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
During COVID, our senior volunteers self-quarantined, so we did more work with fewer volunteers
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
REDUCE food waste by recycling local surplus food in this community and in our landfills by at least 1,500,000 pounds annually
MAINTAIN and sustain the food requests for individuals and families in need by providing at least 600,000 requested meals
INCREASE the capacity of other agencies in Interior Alaska who serve the at risk population by adding at least 1,000,000 pounds of food freely given to local 501C3 agencies
MAINTAIN volunteers as the primary labor source for this organization by at least 13,200 donated hours each year
MAINTAIN community financial support of this agency. Our goal is to have at least 70% for the Fairbanks Community Food Bank income from individual and corporate donors.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
At the Fairbanks Community Food Bank there is a balance of FOOD IN and FOOD OUT, but we are well positioned to respond to an area emergency or other change in the community's food assurance needs. In FY 2019 the demand for Food Bank services exceeded our capacity, but we met those demands, distributing food 6 days each week, even during the COVID period. Employees and volunteers served more meals than our goal and took in more food than our baseline. Consistent with our vision and proven track record, when called upon, this local Fairbanks Community Food Bank surpasses all goals, as required, to effectively meet community needs, COVID 19 and its' variants have proven that we have the ability to meet community demands, even in extreme situations. We are able to do this because we are a COMMUNITY food bank, with members of our community who really care about NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS.
We are expanding the working capacity of this Food Bank operation, but not making substantial program changes. We just need more space and that is under construction in 2022, We will focus on and effectively serve our target population, primarily using volunteer labor and donated food. This is a crucial strategy as Alaska is suffering through a statewide fiscal crisis, and we are serving more people with food needs, but those same people are our donors, too, so there could be a loss of donor revenue.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have "developed" our communities to understand that we CAN share and take care of one another, as the needs arise. We believe our huge volunteer and donor base will be essential in keeping community eyes on the problems Alaska's economy is causing. We have been strategic in working with corporations and local business, so that when people want to "give back" we have a good reputation as an efficient and team building project. We have used good business practices to remain sustainable. Reputation, reputation, reputation is our sustainability plan.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
When we began 40 years ago we had nothing but an idea. We are now operating nearly 50,000 sq ft of warehouse and office space which provides food assistance to Interior and Northern Alaska, and are adding on a new warehouse which will be an additional 16,000 sf. We receive free food and give it away free, so that is an accomplishment. The various building projects are donated, built to our specifications, so we are mortgage free. We have 17% of our income, in our warehouse facility, as earned income (rental space). Three-fourths of all that we need to operate this food bank is donated, in-kind, volunteer labor. One-fourth of what we need is cash to keep our doors open and is provided primarily by individual donors and fundraisers.
One project that we are still working on is increasing our freezer space in order to accommodate incidental caught (by catch) fish, and that will be part of our new warehouse facility which is under construction. Example, last year there was a fishery in Dutch Harbor, salmon which was "incidentally" caught in that fishery was sent to Seattle for processing and then returned to Alaska. We were able to obtain 2-40 ft van loads of fish sticks and salmon patties to use in our program. Now that the politics of salmon caught in the wrong season has some solutions, we are able to salvage much of that highly desirable protein to use in our food box program. Now we need to build more freezer space to accommodate this gift.
We also started, in 2019, a new FOOD IS MEDICINE program for those who are over 60 years old, enrolled in the CSFP food program and/or are medically referred. Each enrolled person is eligible to pick up (customer choice) 30 pounds of fresh fruit and veggies each week. We seek secure long term funding for this program. We have about 900 patients who have been served in this program, even during the COVID period.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
FAIRBANKS COMMUNITY FOOD BANK SERVICE INC
Board of directorsas of 03/07/2022
Mr. Gene Theriault
State of Alaska, retired
Term: 2020 - 2022
Hollis Hall
Alaska Cooperative Extension Service
Michael Walsh
Foraker Group
Genevieve Bell
Flowline, Inc.
Uriah Nalikak
Petro Star
Patty Walter
Diocese of Alaska
Gene Therriault
Alaska Energy Issues
Ron Wall
Alaska State Troopers
Trevor Hanson
Odem Corp.
Ray Bronson
Kinross-Ft. Knox
Bob Hajdukovich
Retired, Aviator
Nancy Hanson
Retired, Catholic Schools of Fairbanks
Chad Hutchison
UA Director of State Relations
Marisa Sharrah
Hospital Foundation
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/04/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.