Welcome to River Bend Foodbank!
Last year the foodbank distributed over 6.3 million pounds of surplus food to our 300 member agencies that serve the hungry in 22 counties in Iowa and Illlinois, saving our member agencies a collective $5 million.
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Landmark New Study Reveals an Unprecedented Number of Quad City Families Seeking Emergency Food Assistance
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Trying to Lose Weight? Pound for Pound, we can fight hunger together!
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Walmart Foundation Donates $225,000 to Feeding Illinois to Help Stock Shelves of Local Food Banks Across the State including River Bend Foodbank!
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United HealthCare donates 100 Holiday Food Baskets
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Jewel-Osco -- a long time supporter of the foodbank—presents Foodbank with a check for $7487.23.
Modern Woodman Camp 26 donates gift boxes for backpack children.
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River Bend brings Food Stamp outreach to the pantries
with the SNAP Outreach Program. - More
Agency Spotlight: Sacred Heart Food Pantry in Rock Island
For 30 years Mike Clark has volunteered at the Sacred Heart Food Pantry in Rock Island. 30 years!
“Why do I do it? It’s what we’re supposed to do. Help each other out.”
Mike spends 20 hours a week running the extremely busy food pantry which is open from 9 to 11 am Monday through Friday. Sacred Heart distributes hundreds of thousands of pounds of food each year to those in need. People who come just walk around the shelves and pick out what they need, filling a plastic grocery bag.
Mike learned at an early age to care about others who might be struggling. “My grandparents used to feed people through their back door,” he says. “Now we rely more on food pantries. I really enjoy doing this. I enjoy the people.”
Sacred Heart is a big user of the food bank. “We get about 95% of our food from the Foodbank. It’s why we can serve so many.” Located in the Rock Island Township Building on 7th Avenue in Rock Island, Sacred Heart Food Pantry is the largest pantry in the Quad Cities, serving about 900 households or 3300 individuals every month. Mike reports that in this economy, the need has increased on every level. He says that new people are showing up every week, and many of them say that they have never been to a food pantry before.
One such person, Tony was visiting the food pantry for the first time this year. “I’m in construction,” he says. “Last year was good but this year, I just can’t get any work. I have a family and kids, and it breaks my heart to be in this situation. This really helps though.”
Jane is another person who has relied upon the food pantry. She’s a senior on a fixed income. “If it wasn’t for them, I would go without.” she says.
