Our mission is to partner with local agencies and communities in an effort to aggressively fight hunger in Southwest Georgia by:

• Providing our partner agencies with the food and other grocery items they need to fight hunger and other poverty-related issues;
• Sponsoring programs designed to address child hunger and malnutrition;
• Raising awareness about food insecurity, hunger, and malnutrition; and
• Assisting other agencies (i.e. Red Cross, GEMA, FEMA, etc.) in meeting the needs of those affected by disaster.

 

Our Impact

Did you know that 40% of our population here in Southwest Georgia is at risk of being food insecure at some point throughout the year?  That is approximately 200,000 people, which includes over 50,000 children.  Did you know that 21% of our population is at or below poverty?  In other words, over 100,000 people, including over 25,000 children, in Southwest Georgia face food insecurity on a regular basis.

I don’t know about you, but those numbers are staggering to me!  Before taking on the leadership role here at the Food Bank, I didn’t know that hunger was such an issue here in our region.  Neither did I know that there are numerous hunger-fighting agencies out there in our communities working diligently and tirelessly to help their fellowman in their time of need.

What I have learned since joining the Food Bank is that we have the potential to positively impact the lives of over 100,000 people each year through our 300+ partner agencies.  That is a huge responsibility, while at the same time a wonderful opportunity.  Not wanting to take this responsibility lightly lead us to change our mission statement to say we will “aggressively fight hunger.”  That means we will be on the front lines, leading the charge in the fight against hunger; not sitting idly by just doing enough to get by!

We can’t fight this battle alone though – we need your support!  Will you partner with us as we “aggressively fight hunger” in Southwest Georgia?

Brett A. Kirkland
President & CEO

04/09/08 Idol Gives Back 2007 Campaign - The Food Bank announced today that they received a grant in the amount of $14,400 as a result of the campaign. The grant will be used to increase the number of elementary students we serve from 100 to 350 this Fall.

04/17/08 ConAgra Foods - The Food Bank announced today that they received a two-year grant in the amount of $20,000 (1st year) from ConAgra Foods to start a Kids Cafe in Sylvester, Georgia. They will receive $10,000 next year to help sustain the program.

05/05/08 Wal-Mart Supercenter in Albany presents Food Bank with a grant in the amount of $1,000.

06/19/08 Wal-Mart Supercenter in Fitzgerald presents Food Bank with a grant in the amount of $1,000.

06/27/08 The Agency Partnership Conference was a success this year with over 37 agencies in attendance. The 2009 conference is tentatively set for March.

07/12/08 The South Georgia Wildcats allowed us to pass the bucket at their final home game, which they won! Thank you Wildcat fans for helping us raise $1,000 to fight hunger in Southwest Georgia.

09/04/08 Annual Banquet will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Albany. It will be a coat and tie affair with Congressman Sanford Bishop joining us as the keynote speaker and Karla Heath Sands serving as our emcee. Agencies planning to attend need to contact Cheryl to receive two admission tickets.