Freestore Foodbank is the largest emergency food and services provider for children and families across Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and southeast Indiana. It was one of the first food banks in the country to build food into healthcare, launching its KIND program, for Keeping Infants Nourished and Developing, in 2011 with Cincinnati Children’s. Kurt Reiber has led it as President and CEO since 2011; he is retiring in 2026, and the board has named Kreg Keesee as his successor. It is a member of the Feeding America network.
Freestore Foodbank sources food at scale and distributes it across a tri-state region through partner agencies and its own programs, with a particular focus on children and families. It pairs emergency food with connection to other services, and its KIND program, run with Cincinnati Children’s, is a pioneering example of putting food distribution inside the healthcare system to reach families during a child’s earliest years.
Kurt Reiber has served as President and CEO since 2011 and is credited with transforming the organization over roughly 15 years, including building a new distribution center that opened in 2023. He announced his retirement, and the board named Kreg Keesee as the next president and CEO. The handover is structured to keep operations steady as Reiber steps down in 2026.
The service area spans three states: Greater Cincinnati in southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky across the river, and southeast Indiana. That tri-state footprint is unusual and reflects how the Cincinnati metro spills across state lines. The focus on children and families shapes much of the programming.
Yes. Freestore Foodbank is a registered 501(c)(3) and a Feeding America member. Donors can review its financials through Charity Navigator and GuideStar. Bulk buying and donated food mean gifts convert into many meals.
Donations and volunteer shifts run through freestorefoodbank.org. Volunteers sort and pack food and help at distributions and programs, and cash gifts go furthest because of the organization’s purchasing power.
Freestore Foodbank covers the Cincinnati region in southwest Ohio and across into Kentucky and Indiana. Mid-Ohio Food Collective in Columbus is the state’s largest, and the Greater Cleveland Food Bank serves the northeast. For anyone in the Cincinnati area, Freestore is the lead organization.
Agencies across the tri-state region receive food.
Food-in-healthcare, run with Cincinnati Children’s since 2011.
The core focus of the organization’s work.
Emergency food paired with connection to other support.
Sources: Freestore Foodbank website (freestorefoodbank.org), and 2026 reporting from Local 12 and CityBeat on Kurt Reiber’s retirement and the appointment of Kreg Keesee. We are not affiliated with Freestore Foodbank and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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