Second Harvest Heartland Named 2014 Member Food Bank of the Year

CHICAGO, April 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Second Harvest Heartland was named the 2014 Member of the Year at the Feeding America National Executive Directors' Forum that took place last week in St. Louis. The award is given to the year's most outstanding food bank of the more than 200 food banks across the nation in the Feeding America network.

Judges selected the St. Paul food bank because of its exceptional work over the past year, in particular, the food bank's commitment to community collaboration and raising awareness in the Twin Cities area on the issue of hunger. They were also cited for their efforts in increasing SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps) outreach and application assistance among those in need and their commitment to bringing more fresh fruits and vegetables to families in the area.  The food bank was also recognized for strong fundraising and mobilizing volunteers who committed more than 130,000 hours in 2013, or the equivalent of 63 full-time employees.

"Second Harvest Heartland is always looking for ways to understand how to best serve their clients and their community," said Bob Aiken, CEO of Feeding America, the nation's leading hunger relief charity. "With strong internal leadership, high brand awareness and a comprehensive, sustainable fundraising strategy, Second Harvest Heartland is truly a leader in our Network. President and CEO Rob Zeaske and his remarkable team are well deserving of this great honor. Their effort to help feed the hungry in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and their contribution to our mission is truly inspiring."

About Second Harvest Heartland
Second Harvest Heartland is one of the nation's largest, most efficient and most innovative food banks.  In 2013, it delivered more than 65 million meals (i.e. 83 million pounds) to nearly 1,000 food shelves, pantries and other agency partner programs serving 59 counties in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Second Harvest Heartland helps relieve hunger not only by sourcing, warehousing and distributing food, but through data-driven thought leadership and community partnerships that help improve the region's larger hunger relief system.  For more information, visit www.2harvest.org or call 651.484.5117.

About Feeding America
Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and three million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 61,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow our news on Twitter at twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

Contacts:
Mary Sutherland, Second Harvest Heartland, Director Media Relations, 651-209-7913, [email protected]

OR

Lucio Guerrero, Feeding America, VP Communications, 312.629.7219, [email protected].

SOURCE Feeding America