The Arkansas Foodbank, which merged with the Arkansas Rice Depot on Jan. 1, 2016, announced Wednesday that it distributed a record 25 million pounds of food last year, besting the previous record set in 2014 by almost 2.6 million pounds.
Last year's total is also a 28 percent increase from 2015. The nonprofit served 20.8 million meals to 280,000 Arkansans in 33 counties in 2016.
"2016 was a monumental year for the Arkansas Foodbank," Sanders said in a news release. "I am excited to see in year one of the merger our total passed what both organizations distributed jointly in 2015 while also reducing expenditures."
The Foodbank said it was able to continue its focus on more nutritious foods too, by distributing 4 million pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables and 400,000 pounds of locally farmed rice to 450 partner agencies. It also said it had a record number of volunteers, 9,264 who served for 26,000 hours, and monetary contributions were at an all-time high.
CEO Rhonda Sanders credited the merger for the distribution increase. She told Arkansas Business that it allowed the nonprofit to become more efficient and redirect funds from areas like administration and storing food to transporting and purchasing food.
Now that the merger is done, she said, the Foodbank will strategically plan for the next three to five years, identifying gaps in needs and then addressing them. She believes distribution will significantly increase in the next 10-15 years.
Sanders also said Feeding America, a national nonprofit, had determined that there is a need for the Foodbank to double its distribution. She said that isn't going to happen next year, but it is a long-term goal for the organization.
About the focus on fresh produce, Sanders said the Foodbank would analyze it transportation system with the goal of reducing waste by quickly getting those goods with shorter shelf lives to where they will be distributed, and getting them there close to when they will be distributed.
She also said donors continuing to support the organization post-merger helped it increase distribution.
Sanders said in the release, "Our eyes are now focused on making 2017 as ambitious as the year before. We hope that together we can make create a stronger community where hunger needs are met with sufficient access to nutritious food."