Mission:
is to serve as a central resource for fighting hunger in Northwest Louisiana.

Vision:
is to ultimately end hunger in Northwest Louisiana by ensuring a consolidated network of effective food collection and distribution which will provide universal access to food for the needy in our communities.

History:
In 1995, a group of individuals from churches with food pantries and benevolent organizations met to discuss the need for establishing a local Food Bank to serve the parishes of Northwest Louisiana. This group evolved to a formally organized Steering Committee in 1996, and met with America's Second Harvest Food Bank officials in New Orleans and Alexandria. In January of 1997 verification was received that Dr. and Mrs. Charles T. Beaird had donated a building, which was located on 2307 Texas Ave. The Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana signed on as a Subsidiary Distribution Organization of the Second Harvest Food Bank in Alexandria, was incorporated, received 501 (c) 3 status, and after a great deal of work and preparation opened its doors on April 17, 1997. In June 2003 the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana became an affiliate for America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest domestic hunger relief organization. Now in our 10th year we have over 25 million pounds of food distribution under our belt.
The Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana, one of only five food banks in the state, currently distributes food to 120+ non-profit agencies in our seven-parish region, which includes Caddo, Bossier, Bienville, Claiborne, Desoto, Red River, and Webster. The food is then distributed through these member agencies to needy individuals free of charge. In this way food collection and distribution is streamlined to provide a highly efficient vehicle for getting the maximum amount of food to insecure individuals. The Food Bank also warehouses Northwest Louisiana's portion of the state's allocated USDA commodity food products. These USDA commodities are available free of cost to our agencies. Donated foods from around the United States are available for up to eighteen cents per pound, a shared maintenance fee that helps cover the transportation costs to get them here. Local food donations make up approximately 5 to 10 percent of the food available through our organization and play a large part in the contents of the senior food boxes.