The Northeast Iowa Food Bank covers 16 counties in the northeast corner of the state from its Waterloo headquarters, including some of the most food-insecure counties in Iowa. In a recent year it distributed more than 8.64 million meals through 127 partner agencies, drawing on nearly 11,000 volunteers. Barbara Prather serves as Executive Director, and the organization is undertaking a major warehouse expansion to keep up with rising demand. It is a member of the Feeding America network.
The Northeast Iowa Food Bank sources food at scale and distributes it across 16 counties through 127 partner agencies, supplemented by its own programs. It relies on an unusually large volunteer base, nearly 11,000 people a year, and it is expanding its Waterloo facility to roughly double capacity as demand keeps climbing across northeast Iowa.
Barbara Prather serves as Executive Director of the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, leading the organization that anchors hunger relief in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls region and the surrounding counties. Under her, the food bank launched a major expansion to meet need that has not receded since the pandemic.
The 16-county service area covers northeast Iowa, anchored by the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro and reaching into rural counties that rank among the most food-insecure in the state. The region’s mix of manufacturing towns and farm communities means need that is both urban and rural, and the food bank covers all of it from a single Waterloo base.
Yes. The Northeast Iowa Food Bank 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 a gift produces many meals.
Donations and volunteer shifts run through neifb.org. Volunteers are central to this food bank, which engages nearly 11,000 a year, and cash gifts go furthest because of the food bank’s purchasing power.
The Northeast Iowa Food Bank covers the Waterloo region and the northeast counties, while Food Bank of Iowa covers the largest geographic area, centered on Des Moines. For anyone in northeast Iowa, the Northeast Iowa Food Bank is the lead organization.
127 agencies across 16 northeast Iowa counties.
A major project to roughly double capacity.
School and weekend food support for kids at risk of hunger.
Food assistance for older adults on fixed incomes.
Sources: Northeast Iowa Food Bank website (neifb.org), the Iowa Food Bank Association, and KWWL and KCRG reporting on the warehouse expansion. We are not affiliated with Northeast Iowa Food Bank and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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