Causes: Food, Food Banks & Pantries

Mission: To help feed, educate and advocate for Idaho's hungry through a network of community-based partners and to develop efficient solutions to strengthen individuals, families and communities.

Results: More than 210,000 Idahoans, including 69,900 children, are food insecure, meaning they live at risk of hunger. More than 1 in 6 Idaho children and about 1 in 8 Idahoans is food insecure. In this last fiscal year, The Idaho Foodbank distributed more than 20.3 million pounds of food, the equivalent of 16.9 million meals through our facilities in Boise, Pocatello, and Lewiston to our network of over 400 community distribution partners statewide. On average, this network serves an average of 201,500 people per month.

Programs: The Idaho Foodbank, established in 1984, is an independent nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization with warehouses in Boise, Lewiston and Pocatello. It is the largest hunger relief organization and the largest distributor of free food assistance in Idaho. Food distribution is made possible by generous donors, thousands of volunteers and a network of more than 400 community distribution partners that receive food from the Foodbank’s warehouses and distribute it directly to people in need. Our partners include food pantries, senior centers, rescue missions, community kitchens and other feeding programs. The Foodbank also provides direct service through programs such as the Mobile Pantry, the Backpack Program, Picnic in the Park and School Pantry. It also offers Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters, a national program that teaches low-income families how to get more food for their money and better nourishment from those foods.