Erie Community Food Bank has been providing food assistance to community members since 1994. King Soopers has supported this organization through the Fight Hunger bag program.
Tell us about Erie Community Food Bank.
Erie Community Food Bank started in 1994 when Erie was a much smaller community. A group of businesses and community members came together to build our organization. The town donated the land, and then churches, businesses, and individual community members compiled money and resources to start Erie Community Food Bank. We have been in Erie, serving our local community ever since.
Our mission is to feed the residents of Erie. It’s simple. We want to feed people and families and serve anyone in need.
It’s simple. We want to feed people and families and serve anyone in need.
What services do you provide to the community?
People can visit our food bank once a month to get the groceries they need for themselves and their families. After coming to Erie Community Food Bank, most people are able to leave with at least a week’s worth of food for themselves and their families. In addition to food, we keep toiletries in stock for anyone who may need them.
What sets Erie Community Food Bank apart from other hunger organizations in your community?
We are the only one! Of course, there are other organizations in nearby cities, but we are the only hunger organization in Erie.
We also don’t have any financial requirements for people to benefit from our services. We don’t care how much money any of our clients make. If someone feels like they need food, we have it and want to give it.
Tell us a story that illustrates the good work your organization does.
What has been particularly meaningful to me is that quite a few people have returned to our organization, wanting to help. After benefiting from our services, they return in a couple of years and want to volunteer or donate. It really is such a wonderful testament to the work we do.
Another element of our work I am proud of is our work with schools and the community. We don’t have anyone on staff or receive any funding, so everything we do is because of our volunteers and donations. Through the generosity of our community, we are able to keep our organization running and our shelves stocked.
Through the generosity of our community, we are able to keep our organization running and our shelves stocked.
One of our annual fundraisers is called Black Rock Gives Back. For this fundraiser, we partner with Black Rock Elementary School around Christmas. At night, the students sing Christmas carols, and in support, the parents and community members who come to watch bring bags of food. All of these donations are then loaded into a huge U-Haul and brought to Erie Community Food Bank. The truck comes so full that you can’t even see the floor of the truck. It is just packed with bags of donations! Once it arrives, local youth groups even come to help unload it.
All in all, it just shows the range of community support that we receive. Everyone does their part to help our organization feed the people in Erie who need support. It really is such a community event, and that is the work I like most.
What is your most outstanding achievement or contribution to the community?
When I started at Erie Community Food Bank, we packed boxes of groceries to give out to our clients. We would pack them and hand them out without being able to offer many choices.
We started looking at how we could improve what we offer. To do this, we began to look at how other food banks operate. Ultimately, we decided to adopt a new model where the people who come into the food bank can shop for themselves. We set up shelves and ensured everything was stocked and accessible so that people could shop for their own food.
We quickly realized how much more meaningful this new way of operating our food bank was. Instead of choosing what we give out, the people who come to our pantry can decide for themselves what they and their families want to eat. We are really proud of this because it empowers people who, unfortunately, may not always be treated with this same level of dignity. They don’t have to accept whatever we give or feel like they are being needy. Instead, they get to pick exactly what they want and take it home.
What do you want people to know about Erie Community Food Bank?
We are all volunteers. We want to thank these volunteers and our community for their constant support. As we work to feed people in Erie, we run through donations faster than you could imagine. We appreciate all the time, food, and money our community members give to further our mission. Our community is incredibly generous, and we are so grateful.
We appreciate all the time, food, and money our community members give to further our mission.
How are you using the funds you’ve received from the King Soopers Fight Hunger bag program?
As an organization, we are always trying to do more. Since we rely so heavily on donations, we will be using these funds to buy some of the fresh products that are harder to get. We want to work towards always having butter, cheese, and meat in stock at our food bank. We get a lot of meat donated from King Soopers, but funds like this help us ensure we can consistently provide these types of products. Dairy and meat tend to be much more expensive, so we definitely appreciate this donation. We are grateful to King Soopers for thinking of us.
Interview with Joanna Toy, Director
Published May 13, 2024.