FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Paula Murphy, 832-723-6983 mobile
Betsy Ballard, 713-547-8653
Houston Food Bank
535 Portwall Street
Houston, TX 77029
713-223-3700
www.houstonfoodbank.org
May 11, 2013
HOUSTON FOOD BANK NOW LARGEST U.S. FOOD BANK
IN MEALS DISTRIBUTED TO PARTNER AGENCIES
HOUSTON…Based on a ranking issued routinely by Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hungerrelief charity in which the Houston Food Bank holds membership, Houston Food Bank is the largest food bank
in the United States in food distribution to its partner agencies. That’s based on Feeding America’s
comparison of food poundage reports for calendar year 2012 from the 200 food banks within their network.
During calendar year 2012, the Houston Food Bank (HFB) distributed 76 million pounds of product in its 18county service area. For the current fiscal year, which runs from June through July, HFB is distributing on
average 6.7 million pounds of product each month. And in keeping with its dedication to providing healthy
nutritious foods, an average of two million pounds of that figure is fresh produce.
“Houston Food Bank’s ability to keep up with the growing demand for food assistance is due in no small part to
the move to our amazing new facility,” says Brian Greene, president/CEO of Houston Food Bank. “As the
demand for assistance continues to increase, we are grateful for community support that allowed us to secure
our larger new facility so we can feed more people in need. No longer confined by physical space, we are
achieving our goal, and are on track to distribute 80 million pounds of food this fiscal year.”
Houston Food Bank provides food and meal assistance to 18 counties in southeast Texas via a network of
more than 500 partner agencies. They also have Partner Distribution Organizations (PDOs), including
Galveston County Food Bank, Brazos Valley Food Bank, and Montgomery County Food Bank, which assist in
getting meals to those in need.
“We can achieve this level of success only with the help of our donors, hunger relief partners and tens of
thousands of volunteers that give their time,” says Greene. “All that the Houston Food Bank has accomplished
in the past and will accomplish in the future can be attributed to the generosity and dedication of individuals,
businesses and foundations, working together on behalf of those in need.”
For more information on Houston Food Bank and its programs, please visit www.HoustonFoodBank.org.
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About the Houston Food Bank
Now operating from a new, 308,000 square-foot facility, the Houston Food Bank is the nation’s largest size Feeding
America food bank and source of food for hunger relief charities in 18 southeast Texas counties. They have been named
one of 10 Top-Notch Charities across the nation by Charity Navigator. A network of 500 food pantries, soup kitchens,
senior centers and other agencies, feeding a total of 137,000 people each week, provides 50 million nutritious meals
annually. Fresh produce, meat and nonperishables are distributed from the new warehouse at 535 Portwall, and hot
meals are prepared and distributed from Keegan Center, a 15,000 square-foot industrial kitchen. Additional community
services range from nutrition education to assistance with food stamp applications and hands-on job training. Red Barrels
offer a convenient way for grocery shoppers to donate nonperishables for their neighbors in need.
The Houston Food Bank, founded in 1982, is a certified member of Feeding America, the nation’s food bank network. The
organization plans to grow to an annual distribution of 100 million nutritious meals by 2018. Visit HoustonFoodBank.org
for more information. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/theHoustonFoodBank or follow our news on Twitter
at twitter.com/HoustonFoodBank.