The Food Bank of Delaware is the state's only food bank, the single organization with the warehouse infrastructure, equipment, and staff to collect food donations from the food industry at scale and safely redistribute them across Delaware. Based in Newark with a second site in Milford, it does more than distribute food: it runs a commercial kitchen, a workforce-training program, and a five-acre garden. Cathy Kanefsky has served as President and CEO since 2021. It is a Feeding America member.
The Food Bank of Delaware sources food at scale and distributes it statewide through partner agencies and its own programs, from sites in Newark and Milford that together cover the whole small state. It pairs food distribution with programs aimed at the causes of poverty: a commercial-kitchen culinary-school program that trains people for food-service jobs, and a five-acre garden that supplies fresh produce. That makes it as much a workforce and nutrition organization as a food bank.
Cathy Kanefsky has served as President and CEO since 2021. She came from a development and nonprofit-leadership background, including roles at Nemours Children’s Health, Autism Speaks, and March of Dimes. She leads an organization that has leaned into job training and self-sufficiency alongside emergency food.
The Food Bank of Delaware serves all three Delaware counties, from the Wilmington and Newark area in the north to the beach towns and farm country of the south. Delaware notably lacks a state charity-registration requirement, which makes a well-run, transparent statewide food bank especially valuable as a trusted channel for giving.
Yes. The Food Bank of Delaware is a registered 501(c)(3) and a Feeding America member, the only food bank 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 fbd.org. Volunteers sort and pack food, help in the garden, and support the culinary program, and cash gifts go furthest because of the food bank’s purchasing power.
The Food Bank of Delaware is the only food bank in the state, so it has no in-state peer on hunger relief. Its job-training and garden programs set it apart from a pure distribution operation. For anyone in Delaware, it is the lead food bank to support.
Sites in Newark and Milford cover all three counties.
A commercial-kitchen program preparing people for food-service careers.
Growing fresh produce for distribution.
School and weekend food support for kids at risk of hunger.
Sources: Food Bank of Delaware website (fbd.org), and Delaware Today and Newark Post coverage of CEO Cathy Kanefsky. We are not affiliated with Food Bank of Delaware and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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