OUR HISTORY
The Interfaith Action Food Bank was formed in 1982 as a result of the vision of several servant leaders in the Columbus, GA community who saw the need for a centralized, consolidated food source for disadvantaged families and individuals.
The first load of food weighing 1,469 lbs. was delivered to the food bank in the back of a borrowed van to the new warehouse on Oates Avenue in Columbus, Ga. On August 14, 1992, we moved to our third location on Coca Cola Blvd. in east Columbus. Two years later we became an affiliate of the Second Harvest National Food Bank Network. The first Kids Café site was opened at the Booker T. Washington apartments in June 1995. In 1997, because of our association with the national network, our name was changed to Second Harvest Food Bank of the Chattahoochee Valley. 2001 was the launch of the first Mobile Pantry which delivered food boxes to our southern counties and in March, 2008, with the national network changing its name to Feeding America, our Board of Directors voted to change our name to Feeding the Valley, Inc.
In 2016, Feeding the Valley broke ground on a new state-of-the-art warehouse facility in east Columbus, GA that would serve as it’s central headquarters. March 31, 2017 was the grand opening of this main facility. Today, we operate from our central 31,000 sq. ft. warehouse on Flat Rock Road and distribute an average of more than 8.6 million pounds of food on a yearly basis spanning across 14 counties in Georgia and Alabama.
TIMELINE
1982 – Interfaith Action Food Bank formed and first warehouse was 80 sq. ft. and located on Oates Ave. in Columbus, Ga.
1983 – The first load of food was delivered to the Interfaith Food Bank and weighed 1,469 pounds. 1992 – Between 1982 and 1992, there were 20 more moves to larger locations before moving to current warehouse on Coca Cola Blvd. in east Columbus.
1994 – We became an affiliate of the Second Harvest National Food Bank Network
1995 – First Kids Café site was opened at Booker T. Washington apartments in Columbus, Ga. This was a partnership with the Columbus Housing Authority, Parks and Recreation and Interfaith Food Bank.
1997 – We changed our name to Second Harvest Food Bank of the Chattahoochee Valley because of our association with the national network.
2001 – We launched the first Mobile Pantry which distributed food boxes to our rural southern counties. We also completed renovation of our warehouse that included a new food sorting area, walk-in cooler and freezer and a full-line, 3,000 sq. ft. commercial kitchen.
2009 – With the national network changing its name to Feeding America, our Board of Directors voted to change our name to Feeding the Valley, Inc.
2014 – We opened a 24,000 sq. ft. satellite warehouse in LaGrange, Ga. to better serve our northern counties of Troup, Harris, Meriwether and Talbot.
2015 and 2016 – Feeding the Valley passed its first AIB inspection for food safety in both the Columbus and LaGrange warehouse locations.
2016 – Feeding the Valley breaks ground to build a new state-of-the-art warehouse facility in east Columbus, GA that will serve as it’s central headquarters.
Today, we operate from our central 31,000 sq. ft. warehouse on Flat Rock Road in Columbus, Ga. and distribute an approximately 8.6 million pounds annually to 14 counties in Georgia and Alabama.
2017 – March 31, we celebrated our Grand Opening at our new, state-of-the-art warehouse at 6744 Flat Rock Road, Midland, Georgia.
2018 – We celebrated our 35th Anniversary with a Farm to Fork dinner and honored some of our founders.
2019 – We established a distribution center in Cuthbert, Ga. to better serve the counties of Randolph, Clay, Stewart, Webster, Schley, and Quitman.
2019 – We established a distribution center in Albany, Ga. to better serve the counties of Dougherty, Lee, Calhoun and Terrell.
