Heartland Food Bank

Our Mission

The Heartland Food Bank is the only local food bank serving Highlands County. The primary purpose of a Food Bank is to supply food to food pantries, run by non-profit organizations and churches, which provide food directly to needy families in their communities. The “bank” can amass, store, and distribute large volumes of food, amounts far greater than the average pantry can handle.

How we operate

Before we opened, Food was being picked up from grocery stores in Highlands County and taken to Lakeland, the closest Feeding America Food Bank. Through Feeding America’s national contracts with grocery store chains, HFB became eligible to pick up surplus food from Aldi, Flowers Bakery, Publix, Save-A-Lot, Wal-Mart, and Winn-Dixie stores throughout Highlands County. Many organizations hold food drives on our behalf that benefit the organizations we work with and the community they serve. We also seek grant opportunities to fund operations and special programs. Community support and volunteerism are crucial to our success. We thank everyone involved in helping us fulfill our mission.

Donate

The Heartland Food Bank is the only local food bank serving Highlands County. Our facility allows our 40 partner agencies access to food that they would not be able to store themselves. Together, we can better serve the nearly 20,000 residents that are in need of food in our community. Though we receive food from local grocery stores and Feeding Tampa Bay, we are financially self-supporting. We rely on the generous community in Highlands county to be able to continue our mission: Let No One Go Hungry.

We need continued support in the following areas:

Warehouse Maintenance
Replacing old equipment. (We recently spent $18,000 updating our freezer, refrigerator and AC System in the Warehouse)
Staffing. Though we are blessed with wonderful volunteers, we need staff to coordinate operations, assure that OSHA guidelines and other safe food handling practices are being followed.
Funding for on-going and new programs. Though our principle function is to supply food pantries, we must also be looking ahead and innovating as the needs of the community change

Your support is crucial to our success. We are grateful for your contribution.

Ways to Give

One Time and Monthly Giving

We appreciate all levels of donations. By Clicking the Donate Now Button, you can give a one-time donation or set up a reoccurring monthly donation.

Planned Giving

Don’t forget the Heartland Food Bank in your estate planning. What better legacy to leave than one that serves all people in our community.

Food Drive

Please contact us if you would like to sponsor a Food Drive. We will work with you on materials, food lists, and can schedule staff and our truck to be at an event and pick up the food. We love a good photo op.

Food Donations

Heartland Food Bank appreciates your commitment to ending Food Insecurity in Highlands County. Whether you give a personal donation or are sponsoring a food drive, your generosity will help gain the nutrition and stability they need to grow and thrive in our community. We can accept all nonperishable foods. Below is our most requested list. Thank you for your support.