Arkansas Foodbank is the largest hunger-relief organization in the state. From its 100,000-square-foot warehouse on 65th Street in Little Rock it distributes food to nearly 400 partner pantries, schools, shelters, and meal programs across 33 counties in central and southern Arkansas, feeding more than 280,000 people a year. Brian Burton became CEO in October 2022, succeeding Rhonda Sanders, who led the organization for a decade and oversaw a merger with the Arkansas Rice Depot. It is a member of the Feeding America network.
Arkansas Foodbank sources food at scale and distributes it across 33 counties through nearly 400 partner agencies, run from its 100,000-square-foot Little Rock warehouse plus a branch in Lexa in the Delta. Arkansas consistently ranks among the hungriest states in the country, and the food bank carries a large share of the central and southern parts of that need, including the Mississippi Delta counties that are among the poorest in the nation.
Brian Burton became CEO in October 2022, succeeding Rhonda Sanders, who led the organization for a decade. Sanders oversaw a merger with the Arkansas Rice Depot and more than doubled the food the organization provided. Burton inherited an expanded operation at a moment of rising demand across the state.
The 33-county service area covers central and southern Arkansas, from the Little Rock metro down through the timber country and into the Delta along the Mississippi River. The Delta counties include some of the deepest, most persistent poverty in the United States, which makes the food bank a core part of the safety net there rather than a backstop.
Yes. Arkansas Foodbank is a registered 501(c)(3) and a Feeding America member, the largest in the state. Donors can review its financials through Charity Navigator and GuideStar. Bulk buying and donated food mean a gift produces many meals.
Donations and volunteer shifts run through arkansasfoodbank.org. Volunteers sort and pack food and help at distributions, and cash gifts go furthest because of the food bank’s purchasing power.
Arkansas Foodbank covers central and southern Arkansas and is the largest in the state, while the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank covers the fast-growing Bentonville-Fayetteville corner. For anyone in the Little Rock area or southern Arkansas, Arkansas Foodbank is the lead organization.
~400 agencies across 33 counties receive food.
School and weekend food support for kids at risk of hunger.
Food assistance for older adults on fixed incomes.
Food brought into rural Delta and timber-country communities.
Sources: Arkansas Foodbank website (arkansasfoodbank.org), GuideStar (EIN 71-0596734), and Arkansas Business and Talk Business reporting on the appointment of Brian Burton. We are not affiliated with Arkansas Foodbank and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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