Food Bank for the Heartland is the largest food bank in Nebraska, covering 93 counties across Nebraska and western Iowa through a network of more than 500 food pantries, schools, churches, shelters, and nonprofit partners. That footprint, spanning roughly 78,000 square miles, is one of the larger food bank service areas in the country. Brian Barks has led it as President and CEO since 2018, and the organization opened a new 37-million-dollar facility in Omaha in 2026. It is a Feeding America member.
Food Bank for the Heartland sources food at scale and distributes it across 93 counties in two states through more than 500 partner agencies, plus its own programs and mobile pantries. Covering eastern Nebraska and western Iowa across a 78,000-square-mile area means a logistics operation built for distance, and the organization’s new Omaha facility, opened in 2026, was designed to expand cold storage and throughput as demand rises.
Brian Barks became President and CEO in July 2018, after joining the organization in 2009 as director of philanthropy and communications. He led the food bank through the pandemic surge and the campaign to build its new 37-million-dollar facility, a major expansion for hunger relief in the region.
The 93-county service area covers eastern and central Nebraska plus western Iowa, anchored by the Omaha metro and reaching across a wide rural expanse. It mixes the state’s largest city with farm and ranch country where distance and limited grocery access drive food insecurity, and the food bank covers all of it from Omaha.
Yes. Food Bank for the Heartland is a registered 501(c)(3) and a Feeding America member, the largest food bank in Nebraska. 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 foodbankheartland.org. Volunteers sort and pack food and help at distributions, and cash gifts go furthest because of the food bank’s purchasing power.
Food Bank for the Heartland covers the Omaha metro and most of eastern and central Nebraska plus western Iowa, while the Food Bank of Lincoln covers southeast Nebraska from the state capital. For anyone in the Omaha area or central Nebraska, Food Bank for the Heartland is the lead organization.
500+ agencies across 93 counties in two states.
Food brought into rural communities far from fixed sites.
School and weekend food support for kids at risk of hunger.
Food assistance for older adults on fixed incomes.
Sources: Food Bank for the Heartland website (foodbankheartland.org), and Omaha World-Herald and 3 News Now reporting on the new facility and leadership. We are not affiliated with Food Bank for the Heartland and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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