Our Programs
Meeting the people we serve where they are.
Food Bank for the Heartland works with 589 network partners, including pantries, schools, churches, emergency shelters and other non-profit organizations to supply emergency and supplemental food to children, families, seniors and veterans. In FY 2021, we distributed more than 37 million meals through our partners and an additional 72 pandemic-response organizations. Our network partners play an integral role in our communities to assist those struggling with food insecurity throughout the Heartland.
BackPack Program
Right now, thanks to the generosity of the Woodhouse Auto Family, your gift will be matched—dollar for dollar—up to $250,000 providing TWICE as many BackPack meals! Click here to make 2X the impact.
Mobile Pantry Program
The Mobile Pantry program delivers fresh and shelf-stable food directly to communities with a high need but limited food resources. These one-day, drive-through distributions are free to attend for low income individuals and families. Community packs include various shelf-stable items. Along with community packs, other items distributed can include assorted produce, bread, dairy products, and protein.
In FY 2021, the Food Bank hosted 389 mobile pantries in 28 counties, distributing more than 3.9 million meals and helping 71,576 Heartland households.
If you are a network partner or community organization wishing to host a mobile pantry, please contact Lea Franck.
Interested in supporting our Mobile Pantry Program? Contact our Development Team.
Kids Café
Kids Café is one of the nation’s largest free-meal service programs for at-risk children and serves evening meals to children in partnership with organizations that offer a safe environment after school. In FY 2021, the Food Bank provided an average of 1,042 meals each week to 9 Kids Café sites around the Omaha metro area.
Currently, the Food Bank provides meals for 11 Kids Café sites around the Omaha metro area. The Kids Cafe program serves over 3,465 meals each week. The Food Bank works with the following organizations to provide Kids Café locations:
- All Saint Catholic Church/Completely Kids
- Boys and Girls Club Council Bluffs
- Completely Kids St Mary’s
- Hope Center for Kids
- Lydia House
- North Star
- Salvation Army North Corps.
- St Luke’s Teen Center
- Girls Inc. – Emma Lozier Center
- Girls Inc. – Katherine Fletcher Center
- Upward Bound City light
For information on starting a Kids Café, please contact Allison Oberg.
Interested in supporting our Kids Café Program? Contact our Development Team.
Summer Feeding Program
In FY 2021, Food Bank for the Heartland’s Summer Feeding program, which includes our Mobile BackPack program, provided 125,327 critical and healthy meals to children during the summer when school was out of session.
To learn more, please contact Allison Oberg.
Interested in supporting our Summer Feeding Program? Contact our Development Team.
SNAP Outreach
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Outreach is a cooperative effort through Food Bank for the Heartland, Food Bank of Lincoln and the Iowa Food Bank Association. These institutions are equal-opportunity providers and help families navigate eligibility requirements and apply for valuable nutrition assistance. Outreach specialists helped 10,418 Nebraska households and 13,061 Iowa households apply for benefits in FY 2021. Moody’s Analytics estimates that $1 in SNAP benefits generates $1.70 in economic activity at local retailers.
Interested in supporting our SNAP Outreach Program? Contact our Development Team.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider. View the full USDA Nondiscrimination Statement here.
