Letter From Our President & CEO – October 2025

Well another Hunger Action Month has come and gone. My orange shirts are back in the

closet, the orange light bulb in my yard light has been changed back out and hopefully more people in northwest Arkansas know about our mission. Our staff participated in a Hunger Action Month Bingo game where they competed for prizes and had the opportunity to earn an extra day of PTO. Everything we do during September, both internally and externally, is designed to bring awareness to what our mission. I hope you found some ways to participate and I encourage you to share photos so we can continue to build a portfolio of different participatory activities.

Did you know that TEFAP (USDA commodity foods) make up between 15 and 18% of the total food we distribute? While I am grateful for TEFAP, I am also grateful that it doesn’t constitute a larger percentage of what we share with our neighbors in need. By contrast, there are Food Banks in the Feeding America network that over half of what they distribute is TEFAP. That puts them at a much higher risk when the Federal Government makes changes to the policies.

Speaking of Federal Government changes, hardly a day goes by that I am not asked by a

member of the media how the changes in Washington are impacting us. Unlike many great organizations that help make Northwest Arkansas a better place to live, we do not receive any government funding so cut backs do not directly impact our operating funds. As I referenced above, the amount of TEFAP Food, while important to our neighbors is an amount that we can make up with purchase product if necessary. Changes to SNAP will go into effect in October of 2027 so how that will impact us remains to be seen. However, the current Government shutdown could have an immediate effect on those who receive SNAP benefits and WIC benefits. So indirectly, the Government shutdown might have an impact on the Food Bank. It is important to note that we are committed to not letting our neighbors suffer. With your help we can weather this political storm just as we weathered the tornado of 2024, and weathered economic swings since 1988. Thank you to all the supporters who have asked if we need additional financial support during this time.



The older I get the faster the pages on my calendar fly by. I cannot believe October is here already. I like fall. I like the crisp air. I like that it doesn’t get really hot. I like that it doesn’t get really cold. I like that the pollen that is present in the spring isn’t present in the fall. I could go on and on but you get the picture. I also like fall because it is the start of the 4 th quarter. In football all the players always hold up four fingers at the end of the third quarter. The miler picks up the pace when he or she starts the fourth lap. Most retailers do the majority of their business in the fourth quarter. We are blessed with more donors during the fourth quarter of the year. People who support our mission and step up to make sure our neighbors in need are taken care of. What I don’t like about the fourth quarter is that our neighbors in need experience additional financial pressure, therefore making it harder for them to put a nutritious meal on the table. This year in particular we need all of you who make year end donations to be sure to remember the Food Bank once again. The pressure is on us to provide nourishing food to more and more people every day. We cannot provide the food they need without your help. It’s that simple. So on behalf of the growing number of Food insecure neighbors in Northwest Arkansas let me say thank you and Because of you, someone will eat today.

K

Photo credit Justin Froning- Celebrate Arkansas Magazine

Marion likes visiting Feed Rogers, the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank’s client-choice pantry, because the options make it easier to meal plan.

Walking through the aisles, she can choose items to create full meals, including pasta, rice, produce, bread and frozen meat. She also picks up groceries for her siblings who are unable to drive to the pantry.

One of her favorite things to add to her cart is a frozen Cornish hen. These hens are purchased at a reduced price from Tyson and processed in the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank’s Protein Repack Room at the food bank’s facility in Lowell.

“I like to broil it, boil it in a pot, put it in soup, a chicken pot pie, or use it as a whole chicken,” Marion said. “It’s absolutely been helpful.”

With a variety of options at Feed Rogers, Marion can cook meals that meet her health needs. “I’m trying to not eat as much red meat,” she said. “With the chicken, I can make more variety and watch my health and cholesterol.”

Feed Rogers is a client-choice pantry serving anyone in need in Northwest Arkansas. To schedule your appointment, please visit www.nwafoodbank.org/feedrogers.