Imperial Valley Food Bank

At the Imperial Valley Food Bank we aim to ensure that all residents have access to adequate amounts of nutritionally valuable food. As the main distribution center of donated food in Imperial County, we store, rescue and purchase food in bulk to serve 25,000 people each month at over 30 locations. Our programs and staff support the distribution of food, nutrition education, and CalFresh assistance to improve the quality of life within our community.

What is a food bank?

A food bank is a non-profit organization that collects and distributes food to hunger-relief charities. Food banks act as food storage and distribution depots for smaller front-line agencies; and usually do not themselves give out food directly to people struggling with hunger.

Food banks in the U.S. are very diverse – from small operations serving people spread out across large rural areas to very large facilities that store and distribute many millions of pounds of food each year, and everything in between. A variety of factors impact how food banks work, from the size of the facility to the number of staff members. But one thing all food banks have in common is that they rely on donors and volunteers to carry out their day-to-day operations.

Why do rural food banks face unique challenges?

California’s rural and remote food banks face barriers resulting from low population density coupled with larger geographic service areas. This dynamic increases the cost of food, staffing, and transportation for food banks serving these regions. At the same time, hunger in rural communities continues to rise.