A milestone 21 years in the making – Potluck rescued and distributed its 57 millionth pound
of food in October 2010!

Demand at All Time High

Potluck, Arkansas’ only food rescue organization, is common sense at work, rescuing over 4.5 million pounds of high quality food from being discarded – and putting it to good use instead, creating over 5 million meals for hungry Arkansans.

This year has been like no other in the organization’s 21 year history, with the demand for food among our agency partners at an all time high.

In 2009 emergency food programs – kitchens, pantries and shelters, were already experiencing food shortages – and with the economic downturn in 2010 they faced a real crisis trying to serve a rapidly growing number of new faces in line or at the table because of joblessness and higher costs of living – and looked to Potluck for help in keeping their freezers full and shelves stocked.

With an eye toward directing maximum resources towards improving efficiency and increasing food recovery and distribution – we increased the number of food deliveries to agencies with the greatest needs; stepped up efforts to secure brand-new donors; expanded food recovery to 7 days a week – and put a fourth food rescue vehicle on the road to collect and distribute over 13,500 additional pounds of food a month from new donors.

Potluck has worked hard to make very ounce – and dollar – count for 21 years by operating efficiently and streamlining wherever we can – but your support is critical in keeping our wheels in motion 7 days a week sourcing, collecting and distributing the most nutritious food possible – to help feed over 7,000 children and adults a week.

In today’s world, with the increasing demand for food continually challenging the supply – there’s little that makes as much sense as saving millions of pounds of high quality food from going to waste, just because too much was prepared or purchased and it went un-served and/or un-sold, etc., - and using it instead to put good food for meals on the tables of individuals and families struggling to meet basic needs.

We’re grateful for your generous support and wish you and yours a happy, healthy holiday season.

Carol Herzog
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Kids' Pantry: Year-round Suppers and Snacks

Children of low-income families need year-round nutritional support outside of school hours, when many parents must often work long hours at multiple jobs to make ends meet or to make up for not enough food to go around at meal time at home.

Out-of-school food programs like the KIDS’ PANTRY that can provide youngsters with nutritious food for year-round daily suppers and snacks are vital in helping many children bridge the hunger gap between lunch and breakfast the next day during the school year – and often make the difference between kids having something to eat during the day – or not – over the summer.

Developed in 1997 to combat childhood hunger and under-nutrition, the KIDS’ PANTRY is Arkansas’ only charitable out-of-school food program created to ensure economically disadvantaged youngsters have the opportunity to gain access to nutritious food for full and complete daily meals after school and during the summer throughout the year.

Through partnerships with social service, faith-based and community organizations whose primary focus is better meeting the needs of latch-key kids from resource poor families in un-served areas throughout Pulaski County and in Camden, Eudora, Strong and El Dorado, Arkansas – the KIDS’ PANTRY helps feed over 2,000 youngsters a week.

With more than 26 percent of Arkansas’ children living in poverty and at-risk of hunger – out-of-school programs that keep kids safe, engaged in positive activities – and well fed throughout the year benefit youngsters, families and the whole community.

For more information about the KIDS’ PANTRY or our partner sites, e-mail us using the contact form on this site.

Potluck Holiday Cards Are Here