Earlier this year, the Foodbank's network partners and programs team (NPP), the department that works with our hunger-relief partners and manages our direct service programs, was recognized by Feeding America with a 2025 Network Celebration Award for the creation and implementation of Rise: A Recipe for Our Future.
The new program provides training and information to hunger-relief partners on a variety of topics, such as succession planning, fundraising and volunteer management. In addition to our staff, we welcomed local experts from nonprofits, food banks and other organizations to share strategies for building stronger, more inclusive and more sustainable hunger-relief programs.
The team was invited to present information on the Rise program at Feeding America’s Sourcing, Operations & Neighbor Access (SONA) Conference in Texas last month. Staff attended the national conference and shared data and best practices gathered during the Rise pilot that might help other food banks implement similar programming.