Food Bank of the Albemarle is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating hunger in our region.
Food Bank of the Albemarle has been fighting hunger in northeast NC for over 40 years!
The story of the food bank begins in 1981 when a group of concerned citizens organized a meeting. This first gathering, chaired by County Commissioner Bill Owens, was to discuss the need and process of setting up a food bank.
With the efforts of 20 area churches, dozens of local businesses, and the Elizabeth City Foundation enough funds, food and labor were donated to get the project off the ground.
Then called the Albemarle Food Bank and Food Pantry, Inc., the Food Bank was located in a small warehouse at the southern end of Elizabeth City. With founding Director Deborah Fox at the helm, the Food Bank distributed approximately 133,882 meals around the 10 counties in northeast North Carolina that it served during the first three years of operation.
Since those early days, the Food Bank of the Albemarle has distributed approximately 46 million meals to the hungry men, women and children in a 15 county region that makes up northeast North Carolina. Over 56 million pounds of food have passed through our hands to someone in need.
The Food Bank of the Albemarle has seen changes in leadership, faced tough times and prospered, and weathered through natural disasters. Through it all, we remain dedicated to our mission of feeding the hungry; our resolve has never wavered.
The story of the food bank is continuously growing. You can be a part of the solution! Click here to donate.
Mission
The Mission of the Food Bank is to fight hunger and poverty in our 15-county service area in northeast North Carolina. We are a regional clearinghouse for the collection and distribution of food and grocery items to over 100 non-profit and faith-based organizations for their food programs, and to eligible individuals for their food needs.
Vision
Food Bank of the Albemarle Is committed to a hunger-free community, working each day with retail donors, farmers, private donors, hunger relief partners and volunteers towards this goal.
In addition, we are striving to meet our “Bold Goal” of 10.7 million meals annually by 2025 to close the meal gap. We recognize that we cannot go from our current distribution of 4.9 million meals to 10.7 million overnight, we have a thoughtful and reasonable plan that will grow our capacity every year through 2025.
Our Core Values
- STEWARDSHIP: We will be good stewards of all of the resources.
- URGENCY: We will operate with an acute sense of responsiveness to serve the needs of the hungry in our region.
- COLLABORATION: To pursue all working relationships that will support the Food Bank of the Albemarle’s mission.
- COMPASSION: We will be sensitive to the needs of the hungry in our region.
- EXCELLENCE: We are committed to improving our performance every day.
- ETHICAL: We will be transparent in our actions.
- DIVERSITY: We will be inclusive of all groups of people.
Our Commitment to Inclusion
The Food Bank of the Albemarle ensures that there is never discrimination in program design, hiring or implementation based of any physical, religious or unique characteristics or limitations of an individual or group. Furthermore, we ensure our partner agencies in the Hunger Relief Network serving northeast North Carolina receive non-discrimination training. When someone receives food through a program sponsored by the Food Bank of the Albemarle or a Hunger Relief Partner, they will not face discrimination.
If you feel you have been discriminated against, please use THIS FORM to file your complaint.
Instructions for filing your complaint can be found on the USDA Discrimination Complaint Filing webpage.
The Food Bank of the Albemarle and its Hunger Relief Partners adhere to USDA’s Non-Discrimination Statement found below:
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orienta-tion, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your com-pleted form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
[Agencies will not engage] in discrimination in the provision of service against any person based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Our Sponsors
We’re incredibly grateful to all of our sponsors that support the Food Bank! Click here to see our sponsors.