DELAWARE STATE SENATE

152nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 170

COMMENDING THE FOOD BANK OF DELAWARE AND ITS NETWORK OF PROGRAM PARTNERS FOR ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE STATE OF DELAWARE.

WHEREAS, on March 26, 1981, a committee incorporated the Food Conservers, Inc. and it operated out of a modest basement of the Northeast State Social Service Center in Wilmington, serving 50 member agencies; and

WHEREAS, in 1991 the name of the organization was changed to the Food Bank of Delaware; and

WHEREAS, the Food Bank of Delaware is the largest hunger relief organization in the State of Delaware; and

WHEREAS, the Food Bank of Delaware and its network of partners have been on the front line of ensuring that thousands of Delawareans have access to the food resources they so vitally need; and

WHEREAS, according to Feeding America, currently there are 99,530 Delawareans experiencing food insecurity; and

WHEREAS, in fiscal year 2023, the Food Bank of Delaware and partners distributed 17,221,051 pounds of food throughout Delaware, served 80,291 households thorough the Mobile Pantry program, distributed 278,963 meal kits to at-risk youth through the Backpack program, and provided 15,467 supplemental food boxes through the Commodity Supplemental Food program and Palmer Home Foundation; and

WHEREAS, the Food Bank of Delaware began a home delivery program to better serve Delawareans by delivering much needed food assistance to their door and distributed 67,921 boxes through partnerships with Amazon and DoorDash; and

WHEREAS, in fiscal year 2023, 8,404 individuals volunteered their time for a total of 55,105 donated hours, which is the equivalent of 27 full-time staff members; and

WHEREAS, the Food Bank of Delaware has played a significant role in improving access to and the efficiency of the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly the Food Stamp Program) in Delaware; and

WHEREAS, the Food Bank of Delaware has three workforce development programs – The Culinary School at the Food Bank of Delaware, The Kitchen School at the Food Bank of Delaware, and L.O.G.I.C. (Logistics, Operations, General Warehousing, and Inventory Control) – that successfully graduated 91 job ready students in fiscal year 2023; and

WHEREAS, The Kitchen School at the Food Bank of Delaware, the newest workforce development program, is in partnership with the Delaware Restaurant Association offering specialized training to provide employment opportunities in the food and hospitality industries for adults with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, the Food Bank of Delaware has recently started their Specialized Training Employment Program that prepares individuals with disabilities for the workforce by employing them at the Food Bank and assisting with job readiness skills and knowledge; and

WHEREAS, the Food Bank of Delaware is proud to partner with the Delaware Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to offer a Summer Culinary Exploration Program that provides training to young adults ages 16-21 with intellectual disabilities and graduated 15 students in fiscal year 2023; and

WHEREAS, the Food Bank of Delaware opened a new facility in Milford in January of 2024 that will primarily serve Kent and Sussex counties, while increasing capacity throughout the State; and

WHEREAS, the Food Bank of Delaware has had a 5-acre farm in Newark since 2019 that has been producing vegetables throughout the year; and

WHEREAS, in fiscal year 2023 more than 16,408 pounds of produce were harvested on that farm which were distributed at no cost through the on-site Healthy Pantry Center, sold in the on-site cafe and through a weekly produce bundle and featured in culinary catering dishes; and

WHEREAS, the Food Bank of Delaware has added an additional 3.5-acre garden in Milford which consists of a propagation house, two high tunnels, a packing barn, a memorial garden, and field growing space that will begin to produce vegetables this year; and

WHEREAS, the Food Bank of Delaware currently employs 111 full time and part-time employees at its Newark and Milford locations; and

WHEREAS, the Food Bank of Delaware cannot do this work alone and has over 750 program partners statewide located at organizations big and small through the State; and

WHEREAS, these program partners consist of food pantries, food closets, mobile pantry locations, backpack distribution sites, and CSFP distribution sites; and

WHEREAS, together the Food Bank of Delaware and their program partners are working together to combat hunger in each of our individual communities; and

WHEREAS, the Food Bank of Delaware will continue to inspire hope in our communities by providing food to nourish Delawareans, while collaborating on long-term solutions to hunger and poverty.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 152 ^nd General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that the Food Bank of Delaware will continue to inspire hope in our communities by providing food to nourish Delawareans, while collaborating on long-term solutions to hunger and poverty .

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Senate Concurrent Resolution be presented to representatives of the Food Bank of Delaware upon its enactment by the General Assembly.

SYNOPSIS

This Senate Concurrent Resolution commends the Food Bank of Delaware for its contributions toward ending hunger and resolving the root causes of poverty in the State of Delaware through its increased statewide impact.

Author: Senator Wilson