A healthy investment in our Agency Network.

03/12/2019

Feed More’s Agency Network consists of almost 300 nonprofits and community organizations across our 34 county and city service area, including food pantries, churches, soup kitchens and many more. These agencies help us further extend our reach and effectively and efficiently distribute food to our neighbors in need across Central Virginia.

Healthy Harvest Food Bank (formerly Northern Neck Food Bank) has been a member of our Agency Network since 2010, and has grown to become one of our most robust agencies. In April 2018, Healthy Harvest Food Bank, officially became Feed More’s first Partner Distribution Organization (PDO). As a PDO, Healthy Harvest helps distribute food to Feed More’s 24 agencies in the Northern Neck and Upper Middle Peninsula region, and has taken on many of the regulatory and compliance responsibilities associated with this role.

“Healthy Harvest has had strong relationships with the agencies in their community for a long time, and by expanding their role as a PDO, they’re now directly communicating, coordinating with, regulating, providing support, training and distributing food to our agencies in the Northern Neck,” shared Erin Lingo, Senior Manager of Agency Relations at Feed More. “It was a natural next step in our partnership with them and has been an exciting new venture that will allow us to better serve the people of Northern Neck and help Feed More continue to streamline our operations.”

Like Feed More, Healthy Harvest understands the important role fresh produce plays in fighting hunger and has created a robust agricultural program that’s become a signature for the organization.

Working with close to 20 farmers, Healthy Harvest’s volunteers work more than 1,000 hours each year gleaning fields – a process in which produce that is left in the fields after harvest is salvaged and moved through their distribution center to people in need. Once in Healthy Harvest’s distribution center, the gleaned produce is then sorted and distributed to agencies throughout the Northern Neck and Upper Middle Peninsula. Anything that can’t be distributed there is sent to Feed More to be distributed to agencies throughout the rest of our service area.

“For agencies to have a local food bank that is part of their community, it ensures that the Feed More network is better working for them and their needs,” said Erin.