Reflecting on our 40th Anniversary
2020 marks the Food Bank’s 40th anniversary of serving communities with food for daily nourishment, supplies during disasters, programs that serve families, and education. As our founders did in 1980, with just a card table and a telephone, we continue to work every day to ensure no one goes hungry. Today, we provide these resources and services in more than a third of our state.
We are honored and humbled to be trusted stewards of the resources and relationships that allow us to operate, serving people facing hunger when they need it most. It is truly thanks to all of you- our partners in ending hunger– and the dedicated work of our staff that we’ve made progress in meeting people where they are to get the services they need.
Together, we will continue the work of nourishing people, building solutions to hunger, and empowering communities to ensure that we won’t have to be doing this work 40 years from now.
How the Food Bank has made an impact over 40 years:
1980
The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, then called Community Food Bank of NC, opened in Cary, becoming the first Food Bank in the state.
1981
The Sandhills Branch opened.
1982
The Food Bank distributed its one millionth pound of food.
1983
The Food Bank moved to a 10,000 square foot facility on Sunrise Avenue in Raleigh.
1984
Became a member of Second Harvest (now Feeding America).
1986
ABC11 held the first Heart of Carolina food drive, now ABC11 Together Food Drive.
1990
The Food Bank moved to a 36,000 square foot facility on Beryl Road in Raleigh.
1990
The Food Bank distributed its 20 millionth pound of food.
1993
The first Hunger Relief Day at the NC State Fair collected more than 200,000 pounds of food.
1995
The Food Bank partnered with its 500th partner agency.
1997
The Food Bank moved to a 40,000 square foot facility on Tarheel Drive, where it stayed for almost 20 years.
1999
The Food Bank distributed more than 5.4 million pounds of food for Hurricane Floyd disaster relief.
1999
The Kids Cafe Program, an after-school program for children at risk of hunger, launched throughout the Food Bank’s 34-county service area.
Greenville and Durham
Branches opened.
2002
Wilmington became an official Food Bank Branch.
2004
The Food Bank changed its name to better reflect the service area.
2005
The Food Bank distributed 233,000 pounds of food and supplies to Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts.
2008
Kids Summer Stock, now Stop Summer Hunger, launched to provide meals to children who are out of school for the summer.
2010
The Food Bank marked 30 years of fighting hunger and held its first Evening of Appreciation, honoring Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. and John P. Morgridge.
The Food Bank opened its sixth branch in New Bern.
2011
The Food Bank launched our Benefits Outreach Program as another way to connect families with food.
2016
The Food Bank moved to a 108,000 square foot facility on Capital Boulevard in Raleigh, more than doubling its space.
The Food Bank provided 4 million pounds of disaster relief to 25 counties following Hurricane Matthew.
2018
Hurricane Florence made landfall on the NC coast, bringing 8 trillion gallons of rain, creating a 10-foot storm surge, and unprecedented flooding. The Food Bank distributed 15 million pounds of disaster relief, the biggest disaster response in its history.
2019
In its evolving approach to the work of ending hunger, the Food Bank launched an updated brand, including a new mission and logo, adding a vision.
2020
The Food Bank was named Feeding America’s Member Of The Year! We were chosen for our focus on engaging with key partners, empowering neighbors with resources to make nutritious choices, and supporting other food banks in times of disaster.