Programs
The Palm Beach County Food Bank (PBCFB) operates four programs to provide critical access to food for thousands of hungry Palm Beach County residents. Through our network of close to 200 partner agencies throughout the county, the food we distribute reaches nearly 100,000 individuals in need every month.
Food Recovery & Distribution
PBCFB collects, recovers, and distributes food to food pantries, soup kitchens, and residential facilities in Palm Beach County. PBCFB's refrigerated trucks pick up and receive donations of food from local farmers, distributors, and retailers. The food is brough to our 17,000 square foot refrigerated warehouse and sorted by groups of dedicated volunteers. Food is then distributed at no cost to our nearly 130 partner agencies that directly feed our neighbors in need.
Food4OurKids
Food4OurKids is a year-round weekend feeding program designed to help fill nutritional gaps that children face on weekends throughout the year. Palm Beach County is the 11th largest school district in the United States, and more than 60% of our school-aged children qualify for free or reduced price lunch. For some of these children, the breakfast and lunch they receive at school may be the only meals they are eating each day. Weekends are especially hard without access to the school breakfast and lunch. In our 2018 fiscal year, PBCFB served over 3,000 children at 45 sites between the school year and summer.
Marjorie S. Fisher Nutrition Driven
Marjorie S. Fisher Nutrition Driven is a partnership program with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences (UF IFAS). The program uses the nationally recognized and evidence-based Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) curriculum to teach students about core nutritional values, food safety and preparation, simple recipes, and smart shopping tips over the course of eight classes. During each class students are invited to taste a recipe prepared for them by UF's educators and at the end of each class PBCFB provides fresh produce and the grain used in the recipe so that students can take what they've learned and recreate it at home for their families.
Benefits Outreach
Benefits Outreach assists individuals and families in applying for federal food assistance benefits, or SNAP (often referred to as food stamps). Our Benefits Specialists are the only non-government employees in Palm Beach County who are authorized to conduct the required food stamp interview at the time of application. Our Specialists are located at partner agencies across the county and speak English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and one of the Mayan dialects .