Food Banks at the Center of Hunger Efforts
November 20, 2014
Backbone organizations help communities tackle complicated problems
by bringing people together and helping new groups plug-in and become
part of the solution. When it comes to hunger in Iowa, Food Banks are
well-placed to serve as backbone organizations. While Food Banks can’t
solve hunger alone, their networks of partner-organizations, volunteers,
advocates and resources across the areas they serve put them in a
position to serve as conveners and match-makers among hunger
initiatives in their regions.
The Northeast Iowa Food Bank leverages its status as a backbone organization through a constant focus on
community outreach, being present at a large number and variety of community events, and aggressively
publicizing their activities and those of their partner organizations.
Barb Prather, Executive Director of the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, provides more details:
“A look at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank….
I was asked recently, how the Northeast Iowa Food Bank became the center point for hunger in northeast
Iowa, so I paused to reflect on where we have come from over the past 30 plus years of existence.
The Food Bank began, as a food pantry, in 1981. Businesses were downsizing and closing in Black Hawk
County and many people were in need. At the same time, nationally Second Harvest-now called Feeding
America, began. Their purpose was to rescue food from manufacturers that was going in the dump and get it
to people who need it.
Food Banks serve organizations, food pantries serve people. So in the beginning, locally, the Food Bank
had a pantry that served Black Hawk County and was the first point of contact for people who needed food in
our community. It then began serving nonprofit organizations in 16 counties.
The key to the Food Bank’s success from the start has been community collaboration. From the beginning we
partnered with the community to pick up food donations and distribute it to people in need. When we started
each of our programs, first the food pantry and then the food bank, we needed both food donors and
community organizations. We also needed the community to support us with additional food, funding and
volunteers.
Since 2000, we have really made great strides in combating hunger and building community
partnerships. Kids Café was a partnership started with ConAgra and the Boys and Girls Club; the BackPack
Program started as a partnership with the schools, United Way, John Deere and community groups; the
Elderly Nutrition Program started as a partnership with Area Agencies on Aging; Mobile Pantries partner with
community groups and this summer our new Community Garden was a partnership with UNI. These, however,
are the big picture view of the collaboration and partnerships we have started and continued.
Through the years these have been sustained because of the work of many, whether it is a study or in the
action we take to get the message across. Conducting Hunger Studies, advocating for a strong nutrition title in
the Farm Bill and sharing the Feeding America and USDA studies are tools used to raise awareness. We use
these when we talk about the Food Bank and do presentations, give tours of the Food Bank, prove volunteer
opportunities, and network with businesses, churches and the community.
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