Celebrating Community Efforts
As we celebrate 40 years of the Houston Food Bank, we reflect on all who paved the way for us to serve the Greater Houston community. We also commit ourselves to continue our work with our neighbors and community partners to deepen our services for meaningful impact. Together we can continue to create a healthy, thriving community by working to provide food for better lives.
Milestones That Impacted Our Community
1982: Houston Food Bank First Opens
The Houston Food Bank first opens its doors in March 1982, operating from a storefront in a shopping center in north Houston donated by Joan and Stanford Alexander of Weingarten Realty.
1984: 3,000,000 Pounds of Food Distributed
In 1984, Houston Food Bank becomes a member of Feeding America, the nationwide network of food banks, and grows to be the largest food bank in Texas, handling more than 3,000,000 pounds of food.
1988: New Facility at 59 and Cavalcade
In 1988 Houston Food Bank moves into its first permanent home, a 73,000 square foot warehouse at US 59 at Cavalcade, donated by the late Albert and Ethel Herzstein.
1991: Refrigeration Expansion and Surplus Food Donations
The Food Bank expands refrigeration space to 121,000 cubic feet and receives more than 1.5 million pounds of surplus food from the Gulf War in Operation Desert Share.
1994: New Records Set
Houston Food Bank sets a new weekly distribution record of 908,211 pounds in December and reaches a total of 100 million pounds distributed to date since opening in 1982.
1997: Fourth Largest Food Bank
Houston Food Bank becomes the nation’s fourth largest food bank.
1998: Another New Record
The Food Bank reaches a new milestone of distributing 200 million pounds of nutritious foods in total since 1982.
2001: Meals per Day Milestone
HFB distributes more than 21 million pounds of food and other essentials to 500 member programs in 26 counties, equating to providing access to 52,000 meals per day on average.
2002: Volunteer Time Milestone
Volunteers share their talents and 93,000 hours of their valuable time, the equivalent of having 44 additional full-time staff members.
2003: Another Distribution Milestone
HFB distributes a record 27,000,000 pounds of food and product to 18 Southeast Texas counties.
2005: Hurricane Katrina Response
HFB distributes 6,400,000 pounds in disaster relief. Special Katrina response deliveries are made to the George R. Brown Convention Center and to Louisiana.
2008: Hurricane Ike Response
FEMA declares 15 of HFB’s 18 counties as disaster areas. HFB distributes 500,000 pounds of disaster relief product per day, extends operating hours, and opens four additional off-site storage facilities to accommodate the increase of product being received and distributed.
2008: End Hunger Network and Houston Food Bank Merger
Houston Food Bank merges with End Hunger Network, a Houston-area Food Rescue organization. Annual distribution is 46,000,000 pounds for that fiscal year.
2011: Move to 535 Portwall St.
HFB moves into its current main warehouse and home at 535 Portwall St, a 308,000 square foot facility just east of downtown Houston on I-10. This move positions us as the largest food bank in the country in terms of facility size as well as distribution.
2015: Food Bank of the Year Award
Houston Food Bank is presented with Feeding America’s Food Bank of the Year award in recognition of our commitment to community engagement, increasing the number of nutritious meals distributed, and continuous improvement to operational efficiency.
2017: Hurricane Harvey Response
HFB helps the community recover from Hurricane Harvey. In the two months following Harvey, we distribute three times our usual output of food, cleaning supplies, and other products. From September to November 2017, we provide more than 51,000,000 pounds of disaster product.
2018: New Mission and Vision
Still leveling out from the impact of Hurricane Harvey, HFB begins a series of focus groups designed to help the Board develop new strategic goals. Input is solicited from community members, donors, volunteers, and community partners. The perspective and feedback gathered plays a key role in informing the new strategic goals and results in a new mission and vision for HFB. Our Mission: Food for better lives. Our Vision: A world that doesn’t need food banks.
2019: Tropical Storm Imelda Response
HFB responds with disaster relief as 7 of the 18 counties served by Houston Food Bank are declared disaster areas by the state of Texas. This includes Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, and San Jacinto counties.
2020: Local Houston Artist Installations
Houston Food Bank partners with local artists to create stunning visual installations in the HFB East Branch location for visitors and volunteers to enjoy.
2020: Covid-19 Pandemic Response
HFB’s number one priority during the pandemic is to ensure the health and safety of our partners, staff, and community. HFB begins Neighborhood Super Site distributions to be able to distribute food to large numbers of families efficiently and while maintaining safe distances by using a drive through model.
2021: Winter Storm Uri Response
During the week of February 13−17, winter storm Uri brings historic cold weather and power and water outages to Texas. HFB is able to provide food and water assistance to communities via the Neighborhood Super Site model.
2021: Presidential Visit
February 26, 2021, Houston Food Bank hosts President Biden, First Lady Dr. Biden and Texas First Lady Abbott. The special guests received tours of the facility and were also able to volunteer as well as speak with people who have received HFB services, staff, and volunteers.
2022: 40th Anniversary
For 40 years, the Houston Food Bank has provided support for millions of neighbors. We have grown from distributing one million pounds of food our first year to providing access to 150 million nutritious meals annually thanks to our hard-working staff and supportive community.
Ways To Get Involved
