The Food Bank of East Alabama has a mission to alleviate hunger in East Central Alabama. They accomplish this goal through programs to collect and distribute food, reduce food waste, and increase public awareness regarding hunger and food security issues. Each year, they provide 4.5 million pounds of food to over 190 feeding programs across East Central Alabama. They also provide chronically hungry children with backpacks of nutritious food to take home on weekends and school vacations as well as supplementing the groceries of seniors (60+) who live below the poverty level.

Three Sixty’s Michelle Held worked at the Food Bank of East Alabama for six years and finds herself permanently affected by their commitment to alleviating hunger for Alabama families. During her time at the Food Bank, Michelle had the opportunity to assist in bringing mobile food pantries to underserved areas. Food Bank employees and agency volunteers packed delivery trucks full of essentials as well as produce, meats, and bread donated by local grocery stores.

To be able to do that… to serve the people and sit and talk to them… it shows you the importance of meeting people’s most basic needs.

Michelle Held

So much need served by such an important organization

The Food Bank serves over 200 agencies across a 7-county service area, from church food pantries to backpack programs to emergency food distribution programs. Each month brings changes in what is asked of the Food Bank of East Alabama as their affiliate agencies respond to ever-changing food security needs.

Our community has many children who go hungry on weekends when they don’t have access to school meals. Backpack programs offer a solution for children with food insecurities, allowing them to go home with a backpack full of ready-to-eat foods to sustain them on weekends.  

As we enter the holiday season, pressure on the Food Bank heightens because children are out of school for longer stretches, putting pressure on families to provide all three meals each day.  

This Three Sixty October Campaign and the annual Beat Bama Food Drive partnership with Auburn University couldn’t come at a better time… they need greater support to meet the demands of the holiday season.

Michelle Held

While the Food Bank relies on food donations from local citizens and grocery stores, monetary donations are vital to the organization’s ability to support a wide territory. Because of their negotiating power, partnerships with other food banks, and nationwide donation programs, the Food Bank can stretch a dollar much farther than the average citizen. While we must pay retail prices for every item donated, the Food Bank can create 12 pounds of food for every dollar they receive. Having financial donations allows the Food Bank to better meet the needs of East Alabama.

I will always support the Food Bank. I was heavily impacted by working alongside the agency and meeting the people we were serving. Supporting them for the years to come is absolutely something I’m going to do.

Michelle Held

JOIN US TO #GIVEBACKINOCTOBER

We always have a hard time picking just one non-profit for our October Giving Campaign, so this year we decided to let our clients choose. For every closing in the month of October, Three Sixty will give our clients a choice between seven non-profits to whom we will make a donation in their name!

Want to contribute today? Any amount is helpful! Click here to make a donation right now!