WHAT IS THE ARKANSAS HUNGER RELIEF ALLIANCE FOOD SOURCING DEPARTMENT?
“It is our job to source nutritious food for our food bank members.” –Michelle Shope, Director of Food Sourcing & Logistics
The Arkansas Gleaning Project allows us to partner with farmers and utilize their excess and unmarketable produce for hunger relief. We also grow produce on approximately 15 acres around the state. Since 2008, the program has sourced more than 13 million pounds of fresh produce! Signature events include the annual Watermelon Crawl every summer and Turnip for Hunger in the winter. Join our mailing list to be notified of these volunteer events.
The Arkansas Beef Project accepts donated cattle and other protein sources to process into ground beef. Through the Community Development Block Grant, we also purchase cattle. After it’s processed, the ground beef is distributed through one of our six food banks. To date, we have secured over a quarter of a million pounds of ground beef!
Food Sourcing & Logistics also manages several food purchase programs, including the State Food Purchase Program, and offers optimized purchasing assistance to our food banks.
ALLIANCE FOOD SOURCING FACT: Over 82% of Arkansas counties contain food deserts. Food Sourcing & Logistics is working with partners throughout Arkansas to solve food access and food insecurity issues through agriculture.
Brandon Chapman and Michelle Shope have a combined 50+ years of experience in the food industry. We understand that no matter how much knowledge we have, we are not successful without our partners and volunteers. Contact us for more information today!