MANDEL CENTER FOR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
CLEVELAND FOODBANK
2006 Co-Recipient of the Organization Innovation Award
The Cleveland Foodbank alleviates hunger by providing food and support to community organizations that feed the hungry. The Foodbank solicits donations of nonperishable foods, fresh produce and prepared meals, sorts and repackages these foods, and then distributes them to local soup kitchens, shelters, food pantries, and other nonprofit agencies that provide assistance to those in need. It also provides prepared meals to agencies that do not have the resources or staff to cook meals for their clients at their own sites.
The Cleveland Foodbank is a leader among Northeast Ohio hunger relief organizations. By merging with Food Rescue of Northeast Ohio in 2001 and the Greater Cleveland Committee on Hunger in 2003, the Cleveland Foodbank streamlined local hunger relief efforts. These mergers have enabled the Foodbank to leverage the community's investment in hunger relief better than the three organizations could achieve separately and have resulted in enhanced service to agencies that feed the hungry.
In January 2005, with the community's support, the Cleveland Foodbank entered a new era of service with the move to its new distribution center. The facility enabled the Foodbank to increase distribution of food by a million pounds in the first year of operation. The Foodbank is now focused on enhancing the capacity of its member agencies, including increasing the nutritional quality of the food distributed, expanding the services provided to rural counties in the Foodbank's service territory, increasing public education efforts, and developing partnerships with community organizations to provide education and support to member agencies.