Food distribution totals for 2009 and outlook for this year

The totals are in: total food distribution for the High Plains Food Bank was 4,758,642 pounds in 2009. This averages to slightly less than 400,000 pounds of food distributed each month. Last year contained two months of record-setting food distribution. In July and October, the Food Bank distributed over 500,000 pounds of food! Even though our 2009 distribution only increased 10 percent from the year before, 2010 is shaping up to be a record-setting year for food distribution.

Due to the sharp increase in demand for food from the High Plains Food Bank in 2009 (upwards of 40 percent), our trucks were running at maximum capacity. However, we reached our capacity limit for food delivery in 2009. At times, we were sending three out of our five 24' trucks on rural food deliveries. Our trucks were so full, we could not squeeze another item inside. The demand continued to increase and our agencies could have received more food items (if we had the room).

New program partnerships with United Supermarkets and Wal-Mart gave the Food Bank much needed perishable food items such as cheese, milk, salad, fruits, juice, deli food items, frozen meat and baked goods. This helped increase our distribution of more nutritious, fresh food items.

However, when you combine the above two paragraphs (more food but - at times - limited delivery capacity), you find that more food could have gone out if the space was available. To help solve this problem, the Food Bank has purchased a used 18-wheeler truck/trailer. This will help us more than double our delivery capacity to our 27 rural counties!

Our food distribution goal for 2010 is to distribute 6 million pounds of food (or 500,000 pounds of food a month). With our increased space, the High Plains Food Bank will distribute as much fresh, nutritious food as possible each day to help meet the need in the Texas Panhandle. Look for our 18-wheeler out on the road beginning in January 2010!