About The Harry Chapin Food Bank

Our mission, values, and challenge

          The mission of the Harry Chapin Food Bank is “to overcome hunger in our communities through education and by working in a cooperative effort with affiliated agencies in the procurement and distribution of food, equitably and without discrimination.”

          The values of the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida include:

• Quality – we are committed to excellence in services, products and operation.
• People – we treat all people with respect, dignity and courtesy. We provide a culture in which all can work and learn together.
• Stewardship – we use our resources wisely, with accountability to the public and concern for the environment.
• Integrity – we are honest and fair in our dealings with others.

         The challenge of the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida is, simply, to meet the need.

          The U.S. Census shows 100,000 people living at or below the poverty level in the Food Bank's service area. The poverty measure is a reliable indicator of food insecurity and hunger. The Food Bank calculates it should be prepared to provide each person living at this economic level with 25 lbs. of emergency food per quarter, or 100 lbs. annually. 100,000 hungry people X 100 lbs. = 10,000,000 lbs.

         Presently, the Food Bank provides food to 20,000 monthly. The slower economy and uncertainties in the job market have resulted in many new families finding it difficult to feed their families. In fact, Lee County (the Fort Myers/Cape Coral area) has been cited in the New York Times and elsewhere as the hardest hit of any U.S. county by the housing/mortgage crisis. For many of the impacted families needing food, their only recourse is to seek sustenance at one of our partner agencies. In fact, these agencies have been greatly impacted by an increase in demand of more than 30 percent. To meet these growing needs, our agency as been aggressively forming food rescue partnerships with various local grocer donors. Since approximately 38 percent of our total clientele served are children, it is imperative that we provide food with high nutritional value to ensure the overall health and development of our youth.