Volunteer At A Mobile Pantry
If youre interested in volunteering face-to-face with your community, consider joining our team of volunteers who assist with our monthly mobile pantry distributions at sites all across our 12-county area.
This is an especially good opportunity for those who live outside of Birmingham, as we have regular distributions in Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Etowah, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Talladega, Walker, and Winston Counties.
If you have any questions, email the Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@feedingal.org! Sometimes these opportunities are not posted.
Community Food Bank Of Central Alabama To Distribute 25k Holiday Food Boxes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Community Food Bank of Central Alabamas annual Holiday Food Box Program will feed 25,000 households this year in central Alabama.
The Holiday Food Boxes contain over 24 pounds of shelf-stable food items and come with a box of produce as well as protein such as chicken and pork.
The need for meals across central Alabama is constantly increasing, and our neighbors are making impossible choices between food and medicine, said Community Food Bank of Central Alabama Interim Executive Director, Nicole Williams. During the holiday season, our mission means more than ever as we aim to ensure our neighbors facing hunger can experience some hope and joy this season and enjoy a holiday meal with family.
The upcoming November distribution schedule is as follows:
Thursday, Nov. 10 Talladega Superspeedway
Holiday Food Box distribution takes place Thursday, Nov. 10 at 10 a.m. The distribution will feed 600 households. The Talladega Superspeedway is located at 3366 Superspeedway Blvd, Lincoln 35160.
Tuesday, Nov. 15 Church of the Highlands Fultondale
Taking place Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 9 a.m. at the Church of the Highlands Fultondale campus , Winn-Dixie will provide volunteers, turkeys, and non-perishable food for 300 households.
For more information on The Community Food Bank of Central Alabama or its Holiday Box Program, visit www.Feedingal.org. View the full distribution calendar here.
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Host A Food Or Fund Drive
You can host a Peer-to-Peer Fund Drive to help raise donations for the Community Food Bank. Donations allow us to put your dollars toward the greatest area of need. Because $1 can provide 4 meals, you can make a huge difference with anything you raise.
Food Drives are always a great way to help support our mission, and a great way to get your school, church, or business involved in helping fight hunger. We’ve created a Registration Toolkit to help make your food drive the best it can be, so be sure to read up for some tips and tricks.
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Community Food Bank Of Central Alabama Celebrates 40 Years Of Service
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. CBS 42 and our parent company Nexstar Media are highlighting efforts to end hunger across the country. This week, the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama is celebrating four decades of service in the community.
The Food Bank marked the milestone with a special luncheon at The Harbert Center.
Theyve been in the trenches, on the front lines, for all those years helping their community, said Clair Babineaux-Fontenot.
Feeding America CEO Clair Babineaux-Fontenot was in town for the celebration. She said food banks like this are essential especially in more rural areas like Alabama.
We see need across the whole country and then there is really acute need especially in the rural south. It makes the work thats done in this community all the more important because some of the deepest need is right here, said Babineaux-Fontenot.
Interim Executive Director Nicole Williams said one in five people experience food insecurity here in Alabama and that need is only growing.
With inflation, and gas prices and things like that families have been really struggling and were here to serve those families. Last year we did serve 16 million meals into the community. But if we were able to actually meet that meal gap in the 12 counties in central Alabama, we would need to do about 37 minion meals. So we still have a lot of work to do, said Williams.
Editorial: Community Foodbank Of Central Alabama
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala.
When deciding what to eat many of us choose between types of food or restaurants, but for thousands in our community what to eat means choosing between food and medicine, utilities, or childcare.
According to Feeding America in Jefferson County alone almost 95,000 people are considered food insecure. Thats 15 percent of our neighbors in just one county.
September is Hunger Action Month. It also marks the 40th anniversary of the Community Foodbank of Central Alabama.
In 1982 a group of volunteers started the idea of helping neighbors with emergency food needs. Volunteers like Dave Wood of Wood Fruitticher.
Dave and his family witnessed hunger across our city and knew they had to help. And 40 years later the foodbank is serving more than 19 million pounds of food. It does that with the help of 230 partner agencies across 12 counties and direct food distribution like food pantries. Unfortunately, the additional food needed is estimated to be millions more pounds.
This Hunger Action Month, we encourage you to get involved. Volunteer at the foodbank, launch your own food drive, come to one of 40 food distribution sites this month, and help financially.
Go to feedingal.org to help your neighbors in need.
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How Does Food Banking Work
The Community Food Bank of Central Alabama operates as a food distribution center. We purchase food from industry sources, and we receive surplus food reclaimed from local grocery stores. In turn, we distribute that food to over 230 nonprofits in the community who act as our agency partners. The agencies receive food from the Community Food Bank and distribute that food to those in need, free of charge.
We do not distribute food directly from our facility, but we operate a number of public food distributions, called Mobile Pantries, which we host around our 12-county area. When we identify a gap, either geographically or demographically, that leaves specific populations vulnerable to hunger, we operate direct meal programs that foster healthy food access for those at risk of hunger. You can find these distributions on the calendar on our Find Food page.
What We Aim To Solve
Hunger and health are deeply connected, and interventions are needed for community health and well-being. But when people do not have enough food or must choose inexpensive foods with low-nutritional value, it can seriously impact their health. The Community Food Bank works to eliminate barriers to fresh, nutritious food.Feeding America estimates there were 224,920 individuals in our service area who experienced food insecurity at some point during the year 2018 before the pandemic. To meet this need, 45,661,684 lbs of food would be needed annually. In 2020, Feeding America estimated that the number of individuals in need increased to 273,340. To meet this need, 55,491,573 lbs of food is needed annually. In Central Alabama 1 in 4 children and 1 in 6 adults experience hunger on a regular basis.
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We Served 194 Million Pounds Of Food In 2021
The Community Food Bank distributes millions of meals across central Alabama each year. We accomplish this through two main venues partner agencies and intentional meal programs.
We work with over 230 agency partners who provide direct distribution to their local communities. We do our best to reach every part of our 12-county service area. When we identify a gap, either geographically or demographically that leaves specific populations vulnerable to hunger, we operate direct meal programs that foster healthy food access for those at risk of hunger.
How It Works:
We partner with over 260 food pantries, churches, and nonprofits across our 12-county service area. We provide those partner agencies with food that they distribute free of charge. Times and days are subject to change, so be sure to call before attending.
The Community Food Bank also hosts a number of free food distributions throughout the month, called Mobile Pantries, and they are listed in the Calendar below.
Tips
- When going to a Partner Agency, be sure to call before you go. Times and locations may change, and some agencies are By Appointment Only.
- Mobile Pantry distributions provide food to households and are first-come, first-served. If you need food for more than one household, be sure to have one adult present for each household.
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