Attention All Gardeners: The Northeast Iowa Food Bank Needs Your Help

The Northeast Iowa Food Bank needs your help to collect Fresh Food for Families. Local gardeners and farmers can plant and donate extra produce to help feed hungry families.

Fresh produce donations go to help the nearly 2,200 families who visit the Cedar Valley Food Pantry each month, as well as other pantries served through the Food Bank’s 16-county service area.

It is the seventh season for the Fresh Food for Families program and donations may be eligible for a tax credit. Last year, the Northeast Iowa Food Bank received more than 39,000 pounds of fresh produce through this program and through other fresh food donations.

 Needed items include: Tomatoes, corn, onions, melons, squash and potatoes. These fresh foods are also important to serving children, families and senior citizens through the Northeast Iowa Food Bank’s other programs.

Any food donations, including fresh produce, may be delivered to the Northeast Iowa Food Bank at 1605 Lafayette Street, Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. To schedule a pickup for larger donations or for more information, contact Sheri Huber-Otting at 319-235-0507 ext. 108 or shuber-otting@feedingamerica.org.

“Fresh produce can be so expensive that a family on a fixed income may not purchase it in a store. With donations from the community, we can offer more of these nutritious foods through our programs,” - Barbara Prather, Executive Director of the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. 

The Northeast Iowa Food Bank provides nutritious food and grocery products, to about 200 nonprofit organizations and programs who assist the hungry, and to individuals who need food assistance to sustain life. Last year, the Food Bank distributed more than 6 million pounds of food within a 16-county service area.

The Food Bank provides eight programs that serve the community-Member Agency Distribution, Cedar Valley Food Pantry, the BackPack Program, Kids Cafe, Elderly Nutrition, Mobile Food Pantries, Summer Feeding and a Community Garden. Encompassing all of these programs is nutrition education. The Food Bank is a member of the Iowa Food Bank Association and Feeding America.