LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Foodbank, which supplies enough food for tens of thousands of meals per day across 33 counties in the central and southeast parts of the state, marked its 30th anniversary on Friday.
The agency maintains a 73,000-square-foot warehouse in southwest Little Rock, from which it distributes tons upon tons of food to local pantries across the region that, in turn, give the food to hungry Arkansas residents.
Nearly 20 percent of Arkansas residents don’t know where their next meal is coming from, according to the agency, and 271,000 face food insecurity across its 33-county territory. Twenty-five percent of children in Arkansas are at risk for hunger.
Rhonda Sanders, chief executive officer of Arkansas Foodbank, said there is plenty of food available from groceries and producers but there was a problem getting it to individual pantries.
“We have food we can capture and give to our people, right here,” Sanders said.
The warehouse distributed 20.9 million pounds of food last year and intends to increase that amount to 26 million pounds of food in 2016.
Patrick Scherrey, president of the agency, said the warehouse idea began as a way to stockpile distressed or out-of-date products from grocery stores in a central location. The mission has grown to include after-school and summer meal programs for children.
The warehouse includes refrigerated space to keep fresh fruit and vegetables, along with meat. In warmer months, gardens at the campus produce vegetables that are distributed.
“Hunger is not a supply problem. The problem is we have to re-direct that food that goes to waste, but it all starts with getting the food,” he said.
Gov. Mike Beebe and his wife, Ginger, were on hand for the ceremony, where organizers credited Ginger Beebe for her help promoting the food bank’s mission.
Arkansas Foodbank distributes enough food for 67,000 meals per day.