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In 1981, a group of community organizations based in Boone County came together to form a new entity named the Central Missouri Food Bank Network. Charged with helping food-insecure neighbors, it would grow in size and scope over the next 40 years into the organization it is today — The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri.
Formed more than 10 years after the nation's first food bank opened in Arizona, The Food Bank distributed 68,013 pounds of food in its first full year of operation. Today, with a staff of 60, we provide 30 million pounds of food annually to a network of partner agencies across 32 counties.
In 1986, The Food Bank partnered with Second Harvest, the national food bank network now known as Feeding America. The impact of the partnership was immediate — The Food Bank's annual distribution of food more than doubled to over one million pounds. The Food Bank remains a proud and dedicated partner of Feeding America, connecting us to 199 food banks dedicated to feeding neighbors across the nation.
When the Great Flood of 1993 struck nearly all of The Food Bank's service area, the organization acted quickly. By the end of the year, it provided 4.6 million pounds of food and supplies. At that point, it was the highest total in our history. To make the feat more impressive, The Food Bank waived the shared maintenance fees it previously charged its partner agencies for food distributions. This was done to aid partners already under significant financial strain because of the flooding. The Food Bank never reinstituted the fees, and to this day, it is the only food bank in Missouri and one of the few in the nation to provide food to partner agencies for free.
The mid-90s ushered in an era of new opportunities for The Food Bank, as new partners joined in the effort to fight hunger. In 1994, Larry Smith, then head coach of Mizzou Football, designated the spring “black and gold game” as a fundraiser for The Food Bank, asking attendees to donate either $3 or two cans of food to be admitted. It marked the beginning of a longstanding relationship between Mizzou Athletics and The Food Bank. The following year, Smith designated the entire football season as a fundraising campaign. Today, Head Coach Eliah Drinkwitz leads Score Against Hunger, and The Food Bank has become the official charitable partner of Mizzou Athletics. As the organization’s largest annual fundraiser campaign, Score Against Hunger now surpasses $1 million each year in contributions.
The 2000s saw The Food Bank introduce several programs that still run today, including Mobile Pantries, Senior Boxes and School Pantries. Our largest program, the Buddy Pack Program, started as a pilot in Columbia, Jefferson City and Mexico, MO, in 2005 with only 80 students. Today, more than 7,000 children across The Food Bank’s service area receive Buddy Packs.
In 2010, the organization officially changed its name to The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri. In the years following, The Food Bank adopted a Foods to Encourage philosophy, focusing more on nutritional foods instead of less expensive, shelf-stable ones. In 2015, the landmark now associated with The Food Bank, the giant orange spoon next to its front door, was constructed and installed. To this day, the giant orange spoon marks the home of The Food Bank.
Today, we feed 100,000 Missourians a month across 32 counties through 145 partner agencies, 185 schools and several programs. Forty years after its founding, The Food Bank is one of the largest organizations in the state dedicated to sharing food and bringing hope. Powered by the community, The Food Bank is thankful for all the donors, volunteers and advocates that have joined it over the years, including its board of directors for leading the organization.
