Feeding the Gulf Coast

Feeding the Gulf Coast (FTGC) fights hunger through community partnerships and programs by creating equitable access to nutritious food and resources for those facing crisis, systemic poverty, or disaster. Since its founding in 1981, FTGC has distributed over 418 million pounds of food across the 24 counties it serves - including nine counties in South Alabama, eight counties in South Mississippi and seven counties in the Florida Panhandle. In 2023, the food bank distributed nearly 32.5 million meals through more than 800 community partners throughout its service area. Beyond food distribution, the food bank operates multiple hunger relief and nutrition programs, including child and senior nutrition programs, military and veteran initiatives, benefits outreach, nutrition education, and disaster relief. We are committed to serving the elevated rate of hunger along the Central Gulf Coast where 1 in 6 individuals, including 1 in 4 children facing the challenge of hunger.

Our vision is a hunger-free central Gulf Coast.

Goal One: Reduce food insecurity: expand partnerships to source and distribute more nutritious food; increase food distribution and access in high need areas.

Goal Two: Improve diet quality: partner with healthcare professionals to address and screen for food insecurity; increase individuals’ access to fresh produce; educate on the importance of a healthy diet.

Goal Three: Inspire public support: increase awareness of the issue of hunger and foster a spirit of empathy towards forming a solution; recruit advocates to help shape public policy regarding hunger.

Feeding the Gulf Coast believes in developing the knowledge and skills of its staff to further their talents and impact on both the organization and the community. The food bank has supported several training opportunities for its staff. One example includes paying for a senior staff member to receive leadership training through Leadership Mobile, which provides intensive training sessions to business and nonprofit leaders in Mobile, AL to succeed in their careers. In addition to paying for the class, the food bank paid for the work hours needed to complete the course. Ongoing opportunities for leadership development are included in our budget for staff and encouraged through goal-setting strategy. Feeding the Gulf Coast actively encourages staff to participate in local, regional, and national leadership roles on committees and councils, including Feeding America, local chambers of commerce, and state chapters of professional organizations such as Public Relations Council of America.

In late August 2021, Hurricane Ida made landfall in south Louisiana, largely impacting Feeding the Gulf Coast’s Mississippi service area and sending many of our neighbors to the west to seek temporary shelter in our central Gulf Coast region. In response, Feeding the Gulf Coast worked with local pantries across its service area to meet the food needs of evacuees and communities impacted by the hurricane. Upon hearing of a large group of displaced families in the Tillman’s Corner area of Mobile County who were without resources, Feeding the Gulf Coast staged and conducted a large, contactless food distribution to serve those families. A family in line at the food distribution wrote a letter and gave it to one of our staff: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are a blessing to my family. We lost everything in Bay St. Louis, and your generosity is a Godsend.” The feelings that day resounded as staff members encountered weary travelers displaced by the storm. Many were seeking refuge in the area until they received the green light to return home, uncertain what they would face when that day arrived. Staff and volunteers loaded up car after car, packed full with luggage and family belongings. Many families sheltering together expressed their gratitude for access to food when so many other unknowns remained.