Our Mission:
To lead our community in the fight to end hunger.
Our Vision:
That no one has to go hungry in our community.
Harry Chapin Food Bank is the largest hunger-relief nonprofit and the only Feeding America member in Southwest Florida, serving Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties.
We rescue and distribute donated food and other grocery products through our food distribution programs, feeding more than a quarter of a million people who are hungry each month!
History
Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida opened its doors as the Lee County Food Cooperative in 1983. When it began, the cooperative distributed government-provided surpluses of cheese and other dairy products. Almost immediately, the cooperative began recovering other food from retailers and growers and continued to grow. In 1985, the cooperative changed its name to the Southwest Florida Food Bank to reflect its regional service area. In 1990, the food bank became a member of Feeding America. In 1994, our name changed to Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida. Our mission is to lead our community in the fight to end hunger.
Harry Chapin Food Bank feeds more than a quarter of a million people each month through our food distribution programs listed below.
Our Food Distribution Programs
Our Culture & Values
The Harry Chapin Food Bank’s staff believes in these values:
ACT
Active
- Move quickly
- Get things done
- Hold yourself and others accountable for results
Constructive
- Provide solutions, not just problems
- Display optimism
- Be friendly and respectful
- Be fair
Truthful
- Provide facts to support opinions
- Don’t exaggerate
- Speak up
HCFB Culture
HCFB: Humanize Communicate Fun Believe
Humanize: We put a human face on hunger to help the community understand who is hungry and why. By humanizing food insecurity, we help overcome stereotypes.
Communicate: We are all interconnected in the fight to end hunger. Food bank staff members are also ambassadors for the food bank and its mission. Our job is to inform, educate, raise funds and advocate.
Fun: We work hard to make a difference and have fun while doing it.
Believe: We believe that there is a hunger problem in our community and that it takes hard work, commitment and teamwork to solve it. We believe that we make a positive difference.
