The River Valley Regional Food Bank would like to thank the United Way of Fort Smith for the recent $15,000 grant award the food bank recently received through United Way’s annual community impact campaign.
The food bank is a proud member of United Way of Fort Smith and provides support to more than 150 nonprofit member agencies across eight counties in Arkansas. The food bank feeds nearly 100,000 people a month.
Each dollar contributed to the food bank provides 10 meals to a family in need. While this grant funding will provide 150,000 meals to families in the River Valley facing food insecurity, due to the rising costs of food and transportation expenses, it will only provide just about eight percent of the funding we need to purchase one truckload of food and about one percent of the funding we will need to feed our neighbors in need.
Spring is a critical time for fundraising. The food bank receives no federal or state funding and relies on donations throughout the year – especially as the summer months near as children get out of school — to ensure access to nutritious foods for our neighbors facing hunger. Continued community support through donations will help the food bank offset costs related to food purchase, as well as freight costs and transportation expenses, and fund necessary improvements to equipment and our facility.
Community members looking to learn more about how to support the River Valley Regional Food Bank’s mission may visit rvrfoodbank.org, or find the RVRFB on social media. The food bank can also be reached by phone at (479) 785-0582
