Quality vs. Quantity – Business

(above) photo Courtesy of Mark Gilliland

Gina Crumbliss

President and CEO, Chattanooga Area Food Bank

Our business model depends on the generosity of others, and we often have very little input into the types of foods they donate. Upon the staff’s recommendation, the board voted to “get better before we get bigger” – understanding that improving the quality of food would add to our annual fundraising goal, but also knowing it would provide improved health outcomes for our community. As a result, we supplement donated food with additional items we purchase to ensure a family can prepare a more balanced, nutritious meal. In 2015, the Food Bank was challenged by Feeding America to double our distribution by 2025 to meet the need in our 20-county service area. We embraced that challenge, and in fiscal year 2017, we distributed 16.3 million pounds of food, including more than 4.6 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables and 28,440+ gallons of milk. That’s the equivalent of 13.7 million meals. We are audited by the USDA/FDA, AIB, Feeding America, and Mauldin & Jenkins; therefore, we track several key metrics daily such as the nutritional value of the food we’re distributing