In 2009, the Chattanooga Area Food Bank experienced an incredible increase in demand for food assistance.  In turn, our programs and services grew to meet the need.

Last year, the Food Bank distributed 8,839,691 pounds of food – the most ever.

• Clients received 17,325 Emergency Food Boxes
• Children were given 60,000 Sack Packs
• 9,820 meals were served at Kid’s Cafe sites
• Food Bank trucks delivered 110,000 pounds of food to underserved communities
• Member agencies purchased 3,000,000 pounds of food at 18-cents per pound.

The Emergency Food Box pantry, which is mostly stocked with food from food drives, was able to handle a 16% increase from the previous year.  This demonstrates how our friends in the community provide when we need them.  It took 952,875 pounds of food to fill 17,325 boxes.  We thank thank all the churches, businesses and civic groups for their food drives.  We are especially grateful to WRCB-TV for conducting the 25th Annual Share Your Christmas, letter carriers for Stamp Out Hunger and our local firefighters , who held their annual Fighters Against Hunger food drive.

Top five individual food drives during 2009 include:

• Sodexho: 9,465 lbs.
• St. Paul’s Episcopal Church: 8,400 lbs.
• Lamda Chi, UTC Chapter: 8,300 lbs.
• Worley Parsons: 6,605 lbs.
• T-Mobile: 6,568 lbs.

The Sack Pack program has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception in 2004.  In that year, the Food Bank sent 220 Sack Packs to eight schools.  By 2009, the number of hungry children receiving weekend food bags had grown to 1,600, in 28 schools, each week.  This vital program is totally funded through grants and private donations.

The majority of food distributed by the Chattanooga Area Food Bank comes from corporate food producers, such as General Mills, Kelloggs and Quaker Oats.  Due to the economy, production at these plants has decreases, which led to a decrease in food available for donation to food banks.  In 2008, corporate donations were down 1,000,000 pounds.

This has forced the Food Bank to explore other outlets for food, which includes purchasing bulk quantities.  A $100,000 grant from the State of Tennessee helped tremendously with this effort.

In May, Feeding America and Wal-Mart reached an agreement in which the giant retailer would donate unsalable, but still nutritious mear, dairy, produce and other food items to food banks across the country.  In the past, this food was sent to a landfill.  The Chattanooga Area Food Bank is now receiving food from six Wal-Marts and two Sam’s Clubs in southeast Tennessee.  Pickups are made at 12 other stored by member agencies.  Last year, the Food Bank and its member agencies received 442,595 pounds of food from Wal-Marts in Southeastern Tennessee.

Many other retail grocers contributed daily to the Food Bank in 2009 including:

• Food Lion: 222,119 lbs.
• Publix: 67,555 lbs.
• Bi-Lo: 35,750 lbs.
• Greenlife: 25,547 lbs.
• Fresh Market: 16,508 lbs.

Last year, the Food Bank completed construction on the Evelyn Navarre Davenport Teaching Garden.  The garden will address economic and environmental advantages of vegetable gardening – at home and community gardens.

A partnership with the Hamilton County Master Gardeners, the garden will be utilizef as an educational facility, teaching the rewards of vegetable gardening, environmental stewardship, best practices and nutrition.  Families, schools, retirement homes, churches and other organizations will be taugh best practices for creating and maintaining community gardens.  Produce grown at the facility will be given to Emergency Food Box clients.  Funding for the garden and facility was received through grants and private donations.

Meeting the needs of the hungry in 2009 was a challenge for the Food Bank staff.  However, no one was turned away due to lack of food.  This attributed to the Food Bank’s faithful volunteers and donors.  Their time and gifts are what allows us to feed 20,000 people each week.  Without your help, non of this would be possible.

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