Together We CAN Break Through Hunger
Join Howard Levine and Family Dollar as we kick off the public portion of our Capital Campaign. Show your support by making a donation in honor or memory of a loved one to Second Harvest's Capital Campaign. Together we CAN build a bigger, better food bank.
Continue reading to see how we began and got to where we are now.
See where we are going
Where We Started
In 1981, a group of food industry Merchants realized Food Distributors and grocery retail stores would discard or destroy perfectly good food. This team of inspired businessmen and women set out to eliminate this waste of food. They had a compassion for those in the Metrolina region who were hungry
From this simple idea, the vision of creating a Community Food Bank was born. In their first year, these compassionate individuals rescued approximately 300 pounds of food, using only a bathroom scale to weigh-in and weigh-out the pounds.
Nonetheless, They had the courage to call the distribution program a food bank, because that's what it was going to be.
Where We Are
- Distributes 327 pounds per minute for every minute the Food Bank is open.
- In 2014, second harvest distributed over 45 million pounds of food and household items.
- Of this 45 million pounds, almost 17 million pounds was produce, meat and dairy, the items people in poverty need to stay healthy, but can least afford.
- Second Harvest provides food and other resources to 650 partner agencies who help feed the hungry.
- Second Harvest is out of space.
The Numbers
2014 - 45 Million Pounds
2012 - 38.2 Million Pounds
2010 - 33.2 Million Pounds
2008 - 25 Million Pounds
2006 - 17.5 Million Pounds
2004 - 11.9 Million Pounds
2002 - 7.8 Million Pounds
Where We Are Going
Our Capital Campaign goal is to raise $8 million that will effectively double our space
Solutions:
- 35,000 more square feet of dry goods storage for boxes and canned goods.
- 5,000 more square feet of cooler space and 4,500 square feet more freezer space to store healthy produce, meat, and dairy.
- 4 receiving bays to unload tractor trailers of food.
- New volunteer center to increase the use of volunteers.
- Improved safety for volunteers and staff.
- Environmentally friendly.
- End Hunger