CHICAGO — The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank was named the 2012 Member of the Year at the annual Feeding America Network Summit in Detroit.
The award is given to the year’s most outstanding food bank of the 202 food banks across the nation in the Feeding America network.
Judges selected the Ohio food bank because of its exceptional work over the past year. Among the food bank’s accomplishments:
— Increasing fundraising efforts by 100 percent in two years;
— Increasing distribution to 19.4 million pounds of food and targeted its outreach in priority counties;
— Cultivating new donors and key balanced fundraising strategies;
— Creating a new Feeding Kids Initiative that created tools that engage and educate the public, like the Hungry Kate video.
“The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank continues to create innovative ways to meet its community’s emergency food needs. They are truly a leader in our network,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization.
About the foodbank
The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank was formed in 1982 by a group of community leaders who made a commitment to provide emergency food the community. Today, the food bank provides food and other essential items to member agencies in eight northeast Ohio counties: Carroll, Holmes, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas and Wayne.
These member agencies operate more than 460 programs like food pantries, hot meal sites, shelters and other hunger-relief programs in the neighborhoods and communities where people need food.
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