Letter From Our President & CEO – November 2025

The holidays are just around the corner. It is regularly documented about increased stress

around the holidays. There are many reasons for this: cooler weather, higher utilities, seasonal jobs such as landscaping slow down, even the fact that we leave for work in the dark and go home in the dark has an impact on each of us. Yes, stress impacts all those around us. This year, added to those annual factors is the government shutdown and its impact on SNAP and other benefit services. Our food insecure neighbors need help. Our role is to help reduce that stress by putting food in local pantries who in turn distribute it to those in need. In order for us to do that we need your help. The fourth quarter is critical for our continued success. Year-end giving helps support us through the lean first quarter of the year. If I may be so bold as to ask, this year if you consider an extra donation which can address the increased need because of the shutdown while still setting us up for success during the winter months, I, along with the neighbors we serve, would greatly appreciate it.

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Another event that is just around the corner is my birthday. Now, I have had enough of these

annual occurrences to view it as just another day, so I try not to get overly excited. But this

year is a little bit different. The 40/29 Turkey Drive has been moved up a week to November 14 rather than the Friday before Thanksgiving like it has been in the past. This will give us an opportunity to collect birds and get them distributed to be part of a Thanksgiving meal for our neighbors in need. If you don’t have early morning plans, I invite you to stop by the Pleasant Grove Walmart, meet some of the 40/29 on air talent, and catch me in the Tom Turkey suit for

perhaps the last time.

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I know this month’s column is short, and I hope you will forgive me for my brevity. I’ve had a bit of a challenge getting my mind focused on what I want to say without focusing on the challenges we have faced the last thirty-plus days, so I am going to close now, but invite you to look elsewhere in this newsletter to see our public release of the 2030 strategic plan. As Northwest Arkansas continues to grow, your Northwest Arkansas Food Bank has to continue to grow to keep up with the growing demand. This plan positions us to do so.

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Thank you all for your continued support.

Because of you, someone will eat today

K

Allen has an unbreakable bond with his dog, Lady. He discovered her as an abandoned pup in a public park restroom, and he nursed her back to health.



The pair have stuck together through dire circumstances – living in Allen’s van, searching for help with food, and losing Allen’s first dog, Lobo, unexpectedly.

“I look at Lady as a gift from God,” he said with tears in his eyes.

When Allen first came to Grace Chapel’s Food Pantry in Rogers, he found a warm welcome and resources for the two of them. The pantry distributes a wide variety of human food and gives out dog food as well.

While Allen visits the food pantry, Lady lies and waits patiently. Her ears perk up when he returns with bags of groceries, including cooked chicken.

Allen says that Grace Chapel is his favorite place to visit because of the client-choice setup, where he can choose what he wants directly from the shelves. He easily finds food he can cook on his stovetop, and doesn’t have to worry about receiving food he can’t use or store in his van. Most importantly, he can choose items that meet his medical needs and avoid food allergies.

“A lot of the pantries just want to bag it all up, and you take it all,” he said. “Well, it’s all spaghetti and spaghetti sauce. But here you can choose and it’s a lot less wasteful.”

The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank supplies food to Grace Chapel’s Food Pantry, one of 110+ agency partners across NWA.

Grace Chapel’s food pantry is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Neighbors can visit the pantry each month. A photo ID is required for check-in. They are located at 1801 S. Dixieland Rd., and they can be contacted at 479-636-7045.

To support neighbors like Allen with a one-time donation, visit www.nwafoodbank.org/donate-online.

When you first drive up to the Second Street Food Pantry in Bentonville, you’ll receive a warm welcome from their volunteer crew. They seek to create a space where anyone feels welcome and knows they will be cared for, regardless of their circumstances.



“We started in 2011, and there was a group of ladies from the church who saw a need,” said Barb, president of the food pantry. “They started the pantry and would go out to the stores and buy food. It’s evolved to the point that we give out about 300 bags a week.”

The pantry has a wide range of volunteers who help with distributions, including high school students, retired students and fellow churches. It’s a community effort that unites everyone to meet the needs of our neighbors.

During its weekly distributions, the pantry gives out bags with fresh produce, frozen meat, a variety of shelf-stable foods, snacks and more.

Different Tuesdays also include a special giveaway of personal care items. Diapers from the Diaper Collective are distributed on the first Tuesday of the month. Bombas socks are distributed on the second Tuesday. On the final Tuesday of the month, they distribute hygiene items like toilet paper and paper towels.

The church and food pantry also provide financial support for emergency situations on a case- by-case basis for households in Bentonville, Rogers, Centerton and Bella Vista.

JoAnn, who does procurement and food planning for the pantry, intentionally seeks out culturally-appropriate food to meet the needs of different households. She was inspired to help others from her family’s experience as immigrants from the Netherlands.

“We were the family that people left groceries on our doorstep because we didn’t have enough food,” she said.

Volunteers also make food bags for unhoused neighbors that include items like pop-tab canned goods, shelf-stable fruit cups and other items, depending on what food storage and cooking capabilities they have.

The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank supplies food to Second Street Food Pantry, one of 110+ agency partners across Benton, Carroll, Madison, and Washington counties.

Second Street Food Pantry is open on Tuesdays from 12:00 to 5:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 201 NW 2nd St. in Bentonville. You can visit this pantry weekly, and there are no qualifications for food assistance. They can be reached at 479-273-9210.