Programs: God's pantry food bank is the largest food bank in kentucky and serves one-third of the state's population both geographically and by population. Its objective is to reach everyone who is hungry or at risk of hunger in the 50 central and eastern kentucky counties it serves. With that in mind, the food bank distributed 32. 7 million pounds of food throughout the 50 counties of its service area in fiscal year 2017. This area covers 16,000 square miles and has an estimated 260,000 residents who are food insecure, which means they lack access, at times, for enough food for an active, healthy life for all households members. The food bank is not a religious organization and does not give preference or refuse service to any client or partner agency based on ethnicity, gender, religion, or other defining characteristic. To meet the need of these kentuckians, the food bank works in partnership with agencies that operate nearly 400 programs such as food pantries, soup kitchens, child hunger programs, senior citizens centers, and any other service that provides food at no cost to neighbors in need. In fy17, 38% of the total poundage distributed was fresh fruits and vegetables.
god's pantry food bank was founded in 1955 in lexington, ky. , by mim hunt. Although the organization has grown considerably since its founding, it has remained true to its original intent of providing groceries to lexington's neighbors in need. To that end the food bank operates the fayette county pantry program. In fy 2017, 21,808 families that included 14,407 unique individuals received assistance at least once. This program is a partnership between the food bank and three churches and the community action council that provide space, support, and significant volunteer coordination to create as many opportunities as possible for low-income families to receive a week's worth of groceries per visit, including an average of 10 pounds of produce per household.
the objective of god's pantry food bank is to reach anyone who is hungry in the 50 counties it serves, but some populations require specific strategies to be successful. To that end, the food bank operates the backpack, kids cafe, school pantry, and summer feeding programs in multiple locations specifically for children ages 0-18. Our recent study, hunger in central and eastern kentucky 2014, revealed that at least 50,500 of our clients are children.
