Susan King, President & CEO, Feeding Northeast Florida
In an interview with Invest:, Susan King, president and CEO of Feeding Northeast Florida, talked about the completion of the region’s largest food bank, the expansion into Gainesville and additional counties, and the organization’s 10-year anniversary. Key initiatives include a focus on nutrition education with a team of dietitians, and expanded advocacy for public policies like the farm bill and SNAP benefits.
What have been some of the main highlights for the organization over the last 12 months?
Our most significant milestone this year was the completion and move to our new “forever home” facility, the largest food bank in the region. We also expanded our territory to include a branch location in Gainesville and added four additional counties to our service area, now spanning over 8,300 square miles. Feeding Northeast Florida now serves a 12-county area throughout North Central and Northeast Florida. Our move to the new campus enables us to have all of our departments under one roof, expands both dry and cold storage by more than 50% and increases our ability to take in donated products. These enhancements have enabled us to streamline logistics and improve our reach into our rural counties that were previously difficult to support. As a relatively young food bank within the Feeding America network, we recently celebrated our 10th anniversary with a gala event. Over the past 24 months, we have experienced substantial growth in terms of our organization, service footprint, and infrastructure.
What active measures and initiatives have been implemented to address hunger in the region?
One of our biggest growth areas is in nutrition education, which we deploy throughout our service area to lift up the neighbors we are serving. If we can reduce someone’s food budget and free up resources for other necessities, we can help keep them in their homes and keep the lights on. In this time of increased inflation, this has become even more important because a paycheck isn’t stretching as far as it once did. We have also expanded our advocacy and public policy work by working toward getting a farm bill passed and supporting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. We know hunger is a difficult burden, but we also know that it can be solved through hard work, with resources that already exist.
What is the connection between food availability and access to education?
As it relates to our nutrition programs, we have four registered dieticians on staff, two of whom have Ph.D.’s and are chefs who attended culinary school. In addition to our staff , we received a SNAP education grant through the Department of Children and Families in the state of Florida that provides nutrition education for adults 18 and over – in all 12 counties that we serve. We have educators out in the field helping to teach people how to utilize the foods we are distributing. With more than 70 % of what we distribute being fresh produce and other perishable foods, education is necessary to teach individuals how to cook with ingredients they may never have had access to before.
Within our organization, the extensive nutrition department plays a crucial role in every purchasing decision. In the past, food banks operated solely on a donation model, which meant accepting whatever was offered. We’ve reached a point where we no longer accept less-healthy options like sodas and sweets. Instead, we’ve shifted the industry’s focus toward providing balanced and nutritious food to the people we serve. We recognize that many of the individuals we assist lack basic cooking skills. To address this, we offer educational programs that teach them how to use the food they receive effectively. Our goal is to empower them with the knowledge and skills to make healthier choices and improve their overall well-being.
Can you talk about partnerships and collaborative programs?
From a food acquisition standpoint, we collect from every major retailer, either directly through agency partners with cold storage capacity, or through major distributors brought in directly by us. Our agency partners range from a large rescue mission to a pantry in a church or a snack pack program in a Title One elementary school. We work with many faith-based organizations as well, providing needed goods to be delivered by volunteers who know their congregations and neighbors well. We are always looking for new and innovative ways to get food to people in need and, hopefully, provide resources that will allow them to not need those food resources in the future.
Other than the pandemic, have there been any major disruptive events or economic headwinds that have increased demand for your services?
Through our agency relationships, we closely monitor the demand for services and have observed a significant increase in need – approximately 25% higher than the peak of the pandemic. While the long lines of that time have subsided, the demand remains elevated. Previously, we might have served 150 families on a singular weekend day through an agency; now, we often encounter 175 to 200 people seeking assistance. This surge stems from lingering consequences from the pandemic, including some supply chain issues, but primarily from the inflationary pressures that families are grappling with across the nation. Regrettably, I do not foresee any immediate changes to this dynamic, primarily because while prices may stabilize, they are unlikely to decrease substantially in the near term.
What tracking methods do you use to monitor improvements resulting from your efforts?
The metrics are tricky in this particular space because we are trying to provide assistance in the most dignified way, so we try not to ask for personal information. A lot of the information and statistics we receive is anecdotal, but we know the demand for food continues to rise and the amounts that we are distributing every day has remained at elevated levels. For example, in 2019, we distributed about 18 million pounds of food. In 2020, we were at 30 million pounds, and last year, we distributed 34.6 million pounds of food. We are only limited by the amount of food available. We try to look at demand and use the stories of the people who have come to us for assistance as real-life metrics to what we do and the difference our organization can make.
What are some of your plans and priorities for the near term?
Our short-term objectives focus on reducing our operating costs in our new facility through energy efficient and sustainable programming, because every dollar saved can go toward food assistance. We also have a second phase of construction coming up at our new headquarters that includes a large commercial kitchen that will provide healthy, nutritious prepared meals through a workforce development program. During the pandemic, we gained valuable insight through a collaboration with local restaurants. By using their kitchens and staff and our food we were able to prepare meals for those we serve, who often lack the time or culinary expertise to cook properly. Recognizing the significance of this initiative, we plan to introduce a prepped meal program akin to a Blue Apron platform in addition to our prepared meal program. This program will involve delivering simple recipes and ingredients to our participants, empowering them to create healthy meals and gradually acquire essential cooking skills.
We have many other goals for both our organization and for the more than 272,000 individuals we serve –– and we know we cannot do it without the continued support of our community and those in leadership. We believe hunger is a solvable issue, and we will continue to stand with those in need on the front lines every day until there is no more need.
