HOW THE FOOD BANK HELPS

The Food Bank serves as a conduit for accepting, sorting, packaging, storing, and distributing needed food and non-food essentials. The Food Bank stands in a constant state of readiness, and products collected for immediate disaster relief will be strategically allocated in conjunction with national relief efforts and in accordance to the Feeding America assessment of non-perishables considered necessary for the affected areas.

In 2008, the Food Bank provided 33,000 pounds of baby food to Baton Rouge after Hurricane Gustav and a tractor trailer load of ready-to-eat foods such as breakfast bars and crackers to Texas following Hurricane Ike. When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, the Food Bank sent nine tractor trailer loads of food to Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi. In 2003, after Hurricane Isabel, the Food Bank supplied 411,000 pounds of food and relief supplies to Carteret and Pamlico counties. During Hurricane Floyd in 1999, the Food Bank was open 24-hours a day for three months after the storm, supplying more than 5.3 million pounds of food and relief supplies to fifteen counties in our service region that were devastated by the storm.

As the situation and needs change in relief efforts, the Food Bank will respond accordingly to maintain effective, efficient, and optimal distribution to our network of partner agencies.