Our Mission Statement
The Mission of Feeding the Valley is to gather food to feed the hungry. The values that Feeding the Valley strives to incorporate into its mission are compassion, good stewardship, dedication, urgency and inclusiveness.
History of Our Food Bank
The formation of a food bank in Columbus can be traced to the early 1980’s and to the activities of a few dedicated people from a variety of churches and community organizations who began a discussion about the need for consolidated food sources for the needy.
In December 1982, an umbrella organization—Interfaith Action—was formed. It developed guidelines for the food bank and proceeded with plans to form a separate organization: Interfaith Action Food Bank.
On March 7, 1983, the first load of food was delivered in the back of a borrowed van to the new warehouse of Interfaith Food Bank located on Oates Avenue. The food weighed 1,469 pounds; and the food bank was in business.
The first warehouse on Oates Avenue was 800 square feet. We moved twice after being in our first location, each time increasing the size of our space and our ability to serve more families. Our current building on Coca Cola Boulevard has a capacity of approximately 22,000 square feet.
On June 7, 1995, the first Kids Café site was opened at Booker T. Washington apartments. We now have nine Kids Café sites throughout Columbus and Phenix City. Kids Café is a program that provides evening meals to children in need.
In 1997, our name was changed to Second Harvest Food Bank of the Chattahoochee Valley. We purchased our first 24 foot lift-gate truck in May of 2001; and by July of that year, our first Mobile Pantry load was delivered to rural families in need. We made deliveries once a quarter in 1997; we now distribute to 21 locations each month.
In December of 2001, we completed a renovation of our building that included a new food sorting area, a walk-in cooler and freezer and a commercial kitchen.
In February of 2009, our name was changed to Feeding the Valley, Inc. This name reflects our tie with our national organization, Feeding America, and our mission to feed those in need within our valley.
