Food Drives And Donations
The donations we receive from food drives are essential for maintaining the variety needed for those we serve. The Food Bank of Northeast Georgia accepts all donations from our donors. Upon arrival at the Food Bank, volunteers can now leave donations in our Donation Drop Box and take a receipt as a record for your donation. For those looking to collect a detailed record, donate as part of a food drive, or to report to an organization or job, weight receipts can be recorded and provided upon request.
For those looking to collect volunteer service hours, hosting a food drive is a simple and effective way of gaining volunteer hours for you and/or your organization members. Our need for specific donations changes monthly and in relation to the current seasonal drives. To request a list of currently needed donations, please contact Faye Joiner using the contact information below.
According to Feeding America, every dollar donated to the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia generates four nutritious meals for our clients. For that reason, we greatly encourage donors to donate online here or create a team and receive your own personalized link by calling us at the number below.
Faye Joiner: Phone: 354-8191 EXT 100
About Food Bank Of Northeast Georgia
Vision-Creating a community where no neighbor experiences hunger.
Mission-Empowering our community to target the root causes of hunger and malnutrition by providing healthy food, nutrition education, and innovative distribution methods.
Values-
Dignity- Honoring the humanity of all people.
Generosity
Generosity Caring for and supporting the needs of our community.
Stewardship
Stewardship-Managing our resources responsibly and efficiently.
Accessibility
Accessibility- Making food, education, and resources available to all.
DiversityDiversity-Welcoming everyone to our places and programs.
IntegrityIntegrity- Committed to doing the right things the right way.
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Food Insecurity In Northeast Georgia
The U.S. government defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.Feeding America, a national organization that collects food from food producers and retailers to help feed families, explains that food insecurity is not the same thing as being physically hungry. Food insecurity refers to the lack of available financial resources for food at the household level. Over 22 million children in the United States experience true hunger during the summer months.
Erin Barger, the president and CEO of the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, has specific numbers of children who are food insecure in the immediate five-county region:
- Banks County has 460 children who are food insecure, and 12.7% of its general population is food insecure.
- Habersham County has 970 children who are food insecure, and 11.8% of its general population is food insecure.
- Rabun County has 460 children who are food insecure, and 15.5% of its general population is food insecure.
- Stephens County has 720 children who are food insecure, and 13.6% of its general population is food insecure.
- White County has 580 children who are food insecure, and 11.7% of its general population is food insecure.
During the school year, children who are food insecure have access to free lunches.
During the Pandemic, universal free lunches met that need, Barger explains. But that program has come to an end now. Parents have had to reapply for free lunches for their children.
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Who Qualifies For Free Food
In order to receive free food, groceries, and hot meals at local agencies, you must first qualify. The eligibility standards for free food are fairly simple. The qualification process is not detailed like when applying for SNAP or food stamp benefits.
The most important factors that determines if you qualify for free food is your income and residency. You will be required to provide documented proof for both of these items. We will explain more about both of these below.
Income Eligibility
Your household income is the most important factor when determining if you are eligible for free food at a local food bank or agency. To be eligible, your total household income must fall below the poverty line.
Specifically, your total household income must be at 130% of the Federal Poverty Level to be eligible for free food. You can show proof of this by providing recent employment pay stubs or a W-2.
Please note, that your total household income should include unemployment, Social Security, and child support payments that you are currently receiving.
To find out if your income is eligible for free food, check out the Georgia Income Limit Chart here.
Residency Eligibility
The residence eligibility to receive free food at a local agency is pretty simple. All you need to do is show proof that you live in the Georgia. You can do this by providing your current rental agreement or mortgage.
Food Bank Of Northeast Georgia Receives $9 Million Grant For Expansion
Georgia Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Christopher Nunn awarded the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia $8.9 million for a new facility at an Oct. 21 check presentation.
The funds contribute to the food banks capital campaign, a $16.8 million project that will move the facility to a new location and increase by 65% the food banks capacity to serve Athens-Clarke and 13 other counties.
Mayor Kelly Girtz attended the check presentation, along with State Reps. Houston Gaines and , DCA Deputy Commissioner Rusty Haygood, ACC Commissioner-elect Dexter Fisher, DCA board member Charlie Maddox and the food banks administrative team.
At the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, we believe that food is essential to human life and human thriving, said food bank CEO and President Erin Barger, and what is essential cannot be negotiable.
Nunn and Barger said the capital campaign would not be possible without the support of the elected officials present. Nunn said the Community Development Block Grant funds of the CARES Act also allowed the DCA to present the $8,895,322 check.
I know we all look forward to seeing the results as you go forward and expand your capacity and are able to address the needs in this community for years to come, Nunn said.
Barger said the new facility will enable the food bank to double the number of volunteers present, increase its ability to move food by five million pounds per year and raise its fresh food capacity by 84%.
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Location And Hours Of Operation
Our hours of operation for both facilities are Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. but we sometimes host scheduled volunteer programs outside of normal hours. The Athens Branch and main warehouse of the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia is located at 861 Newton Bridge Road, Athens, GA. The Mountain Distribution Branch in Rabun County is located at 46 Plaza Way, Clayton, GA.
Groups Looking To Volunteer
Volunteer groups, academic organizations, and corporate businesses can request a private service event, day of service, or multiple volunteer opportunities in assisting us with our mission to end hunger in Georgia. Group events are limited to specific volunteer needs and are first-come-first-serve basis.
Due to our Covid-19 safety regulations, groups will be limited to a maximum of 20 volunteers at a time within the facility. All participants will be required to wear a mask at all times within the facility. At this time, our availability for scheduling group service events at our Athens facility is limited from 9:00AM to 5:00PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays only .
- For groups of 6 or less volunteers, please review our GivePulse Guide and follow the instructions for registering a group for any of our available events.
- For groups larger than 10 volunteers and corporations requesting a private service event, please provide dates, times, and number of expected participants no earlier than 1 month in advance of the expected volunteer date. Availability for private events is limited to Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9:00am and 5:00pm. To request an RSVP for a group private volunteer event, please email us at:
We currently have a need for regular volunteer assistance at one of our monthly Mobile Pantry Distribution events. If your organization would like to make a regular commitment to directly distributing food to those in-need, please contact us using the email above.
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Mobile Pantry Distribution Schedule: December 2022
Please note that the times listed represent delivery time, not the distribution start time. Times and locations are subject to change.
American Legion, December 1st 11am, 4 Electric Ave, Clayton, Ga
Open Door, December 3rd 2pm, 800 Cannon Bridge Rd, Demorest, Ga
First Presbyterian COC, December 3rd 8am, 375 Old Cleveland Rd, Cornelia, Ga
Waggoners Grove Baptist Church, December 3rd 9am, 60 W 1st Ave, Colbert, Ga
Oak Bower Baptist Church, December 3rd 8am, 1589 Old Hwy 29, Hartwell, Ga
Hart Co. Cupboard, December 6th 8:30am, 621 S. Jackson Street, Hartwell, Ga
River Hills Church, December 6th 12pm, Spirit of Sharing, 199 Wood Ave, Winder, Ga
Lavonia Church of God, December 8th 8am, 107 Bear Creek Rd, Lavonia, Ga
American Legion, December 8th 11am, 4 Electric Ave, Clayton, Ga
His Hands and Feet, December 8th 2:30pm, 66 Blalock Mill Rd, Cleveland, Ga
Feed My Sheep, December 9th 9:30am, 1711 Prince Ave, Athens, Ga
Hill Chapel Baptist Church, December 10th 9am, 1692 W Hancock Ave, Athens, Ga
The Springs of Toccoa, December 10th 8am, 58 Rothell Rd, Toccoa, Ga
iServe Ministries, December 10th 7:30am, 831 S. Elm Street, Commerce, Ga
Food Bank of Northeast Georgia Mountain Branch, December 10th 8am, FBNEGA, 46 Plaza Way, Clayton, Ga
Lexington Baptist Church, December 12th 3:30pm, 103 W. Church Street, Lexington, Ga
American Legion, December 14th 11am, 4 Electric Ave, Clayton, Ga
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Food Bank Of Northeast Georgia Food Assistance
The Food Bank of Northeast Georgia was founded in 1992 with a mission to end hunger. Every year they distribute more than 11 million pounds of food to fourteen Georgia counties.
Currently, the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia locations offer hunger relief through their partner agencies, mobile food pantry program, and community programs for children, seniors families.
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Northeast Georgia Food Bank Seeks Partners To Help Ease Childhood Hunger
Hunger affects children in so many ways. Tummy aches and tears were common. Certainly, their attention to learning is hindered. Thats how retired Habersham County school teacher Britt Cody describes the impact hunger has on students. She witnessed it first-hand throughout her education career.
Its a problem local food banks, nonprofits, schools, and churches partner together to overcome. The government, too, plays a significant role.
In Georgia, the need to help families and children who are food insecure is a year-round effort. The Food Bank of Northeast Georgia has developed several programs to meet childrens nutritional needs throughout the year, and going back to school creates an opportunity to help those who may have been overlooked during the summer.
List Of Food Bank Of Northeast Georgia Locations
The Food Bank of Northeast Georgia and their 225 local partner agencies can provide hungry community members with immediate relief. If you are facing hunger, please contact or visit the local Food Bank of Northeast Georgia or partner agency near you.
To find the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia partner agency near you, check out our complete list below. We will provide you with the address, phone number, and website for each partner agency offering free food assistance.
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Hunger Bowl Fundraiser For Food Bank Of Northeast Georgia Kicks Off With Event At Kroger
To kickoff the Hunger Bowl, the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia joined officials with the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism to collect food in a special event held Tuesday outside the Kroger store on Epps Bridge Parkway.
During the three-hour-long Stuff the Truck event, volunteers, students and member of UGAs athletic department, including coaches Mike White, Stefanie Moreno and Scott Strickland, all encouraged customers to purchase food items for the food bank. Grady College Dean Charles Davis also attended.
Kraft Heinz, donated a $15,000 check to the Food Bank.
Helping seniors: A merry Christmas? Annual program provides gifts for senior adults in Athens area
The event kicks off one of the Food Banks biggest fundraising events of the year, the Hunger Bowl. In this annual event, teams across the 14 counties served by the food bank compete to bring in the largest donations from food to money.
The Hunger Bowl takes place through Nov. 16.
Others in attendance at Stuff the Truck were members of the Red Coat Band, the Spike Squad, UGA football players, cheerleaders and mascot Harry Dawg.
Food bank CEO Erin Barger praised the event as an important one to welcome the holiday season when people experience increased levels of food insecurity.
All of the food collected that day will go to residents of the area served by the food bank.
For more details about the Hunger Bowl, visit hfoodbanknega.org.
Food Bank Of Northeast Georgia
Athens, GA The Food Bank of Northeast Georgia was founded in 1992 in an effort to end hunger in northeast Georgia. The Food Banks 14county service area has an annual meal gap of 18 million lbs , of which it fills 12 million lbs.
New Markets Tax Credits from Rural Development Partners is allowing the Food Bank to close the meal gap and to provide numerous programs, courses, and economic development opportunities processing line for flash freezing produce).
Through the NMTC funding, the Food Bank expanded its reach into the Georgia mountain region in 2016 by opening a distribution warehouse and food processing center in Rabun County. The $6.4 million food hub includes a production facility, flash freezing capabilities, a teaching kitchen and a food distribution center. Completion of a commercial kitchen will be completed in 2017.
Through the food hub, the Food Bank aims to combat hunger and spur economic development in northeast Georgia and serve as a small business incubator for farmers by providing local food businesses a space and equipment to produce a marketable product.
The project will create 35 full time employees and provide an outlet for produce from local producers.
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Helping Provide Snacks At School
Cody taught for thirty years at Clarkesville Elementary School. What she saw as a teacher has made her passionate about helping provide snacks at schools for students who dont have any.
For all classrooms, there are always low-income children, whose parents simply dont have the money to give them snacks. From lunch to going home is a long time, so the afternoons can be hard on those children, Cody says.
She noticed other things about these students as well, from tummy aches and limited attention spans to feelings of being overlooked.
Honestly, the children also felt the emotional impact as others were loved in ways they were not.
Cody noticed, too, that some children would arrive at school late, missing the breakfast provided there, and without having eaten at home.
A snack would always put a smile on their faces and help them approach the day stronger.
As a teacher, Bitt Cody was blessed with compassionate parents as partners who would help her provide snacks for children who couldnt provide their own. When teachers dont have this support, Cody says, teachers simply buy the snacks on their own. On average, most teachers probably spend at least $1,000 a year on supplies and snacks. Having a community partner is such a huge help!