Food Sourcing

The Food Bank works to provide the most nutritious and enjoyable foods possible to the communities we serve. Thanks to the generous support of our community, we’re able to work across the food system to obtain and provide access to food to people in need: 

  • Retail Donors

  • Food Manufacturers

  • State and Federal government sources

  • Farmers and growers

  • Collaboration with other food banks 

  • Food drives

We’re incredibly grateful for our relationships with retail and agricultural partners who ensure we can get healthy, nutritious foods to families and individuals facing hunger – foods that in many cases would have been unnecessarily discarded, to families and individuals facing hunger.

Individual from waist down sorting a box of non-perishable goods including peanut butter, canned pasta, and fruit cups

Retail Donation Program

Thanks to partnerships with most local grocery stores the Food Bank and our partner agencies can pick up and distribute millions of pounds of food each year that would have otherwise been unnecessarily discarded. 

The donations from our retail partners consist of high quality, protein rich items such as meats, produce, deli foods, and baked goods. 

Box with a bag of potatoes and several stalks of corn

Farmers and Growers

Partnerships with local, North Carolina Farmers and growers allows the Food Bank to provide our partner agencies with fresh produce and proteins including fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and eggs.

Each partnership is unique, and the Food Bank works to make the donation process as easy as possible for our agriculture partners.  

In some cases, the Food Bank receives the excess of harvest – perhaps a farmer has grown more than they can sell – and we can ensure it reaches people in need. Other times we may receive products that don’t meet the aesthetic required for retail sale or have been gleaned from a field following the original harvest.

Girl smiles next to someone taking an apple from a large produce display

Food Manufacturers

The Food Bank is fortunate to be located in an area of the state with many food manufacturing partners who are dedicated to this community. 

The donations from our food manufacturing partners consist of things like canned and jarred fruits and vegetables, and other types of dairy and proteins.