In 2023
35 million
pounds of food and other essential items distributed
8.1 million
pounds of fresh produce distributed
27.2 million
meals provided
10,000 volunteers
donated more than 64,000 hours of service
Hunger Facts
1 in 9
individuals in our service area may struggle with hunger (approx. 167,800 individuals)
1 in 8
children in our service area may struggle with hunger (approx. 42,330 children)
52.6%
of families in our service area do not qualify for federal nutrition programs and therefore may rely on the Foodbank and our network to help feed their families
Foodbank Facts
- Provides food and other essential items to hunger-relief partners, and food to people in need through its onsite food pantries, mobile pantry, home delivery program and more
- Serves Carroll, Holmes, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas & Wayne counties
- Approximately 600 food programs operate within the Foodbank’s network
- An Accredited Charity of the Better Business Bureau of Akron and a 4-star rated charity by Charity Navigator
- NorthCoast 99 Winner recognizing the Foodbank as one of Northeast Ohio’s best places to work
What’s the difference between a food bank and a food pantry?
A food bank is a distribution center that provides an efficient way to collect, sort, store and distribute millions of pounds food, primarily to charities operating food programs. A food pantry is a type of food program that distributes food directly to people in need in the form of groceries. The scale between the two operations is very different.
Does the Foodbank charge for the food it distributes?
Most importantly, the person in need receiving food is never charged a fee. The majority of the food the Foodbank distributes to its network partners is free of charge. A very small percentage has a shared maintenance fee associated with it.
What is a shared maintenance fee?
A shared maintenance fee is a small handling fee in return for services provided (e.g. operations of warehousing and distribution of donated food and products). The small fee defrays a portion of the costs associated with transporting, receiving, storing and distributing dry, refrigerated and frozen goods. It is not a charge for food, but it is assessed by pounds of food received and is never more than $0.18 per pound.