Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks' Mission

The Mission of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks is to maximize the effectiveness of Second Harvest Foodbanks in Ohio in providing food to feed hungry people.  To accomplish its mission the Association will:

Identify common issues, problems, &  opportunities among members by:

Assessing the impact on emergency food providers and the community as a result of changes to welfare programs and the changing faces of hunger.

Sponsoring community and statewide forums representing emergency food assistance providers to determine the strengths and weaknesses, potential opportunities and threats facing the emergency assistance safety net and to develop appropriate strategies and programs.

Conducting surveys, tracking trends, and undertaking studies to determine how the population in need is fairing, using the research findings to respond to the ever changing food security needs at the local, regional, statewide, and national level.

Create food and monetary resources, both public &  private by:

Nurturing existing public and private partnerships, and developing new relationships which will assure the broadest possible network of food donors and distributors.

Operating the Ohio Agricultural Surplus Production Alliance continuing to build a statewide link between farmers, growers, and food processors who have surplus agricultural food, and the foodbank network, while strengthening the infrastructure of emergency food providers by building capacity.

Operating the Ohio Food Program which purchases included apple sauce, green beans, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, hot dogs, and tuna fish.

Identifying new sources of food  and grocery product donations.

Represent the Foodbanks in national & state forums by:

Developing clear concise materials, fact sheets, and publications which provide in-depth information about our: foodbank network; populations served; services and strategic partnerships; community food security issues.

Developing relationships with state and national elected and appointed public policy makers through which the insights, experiences, and skills of the network can be relayed to nurture fully informed decision makers.

Providing training and technical assistance to the community based emergency food providers which will enhance their ability to communicate with public policy makers.

Maintain sound management practices & business relationships with stakeholders by:

Identifying successful models in the emergency food distribution network and sponsoring training seminars and conferences designed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of member agencies.

Create materials which can be used to replicate effective programs statewide.

Identifying organizational needs among members of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbank and developing training and partnerships to provide technical assistance.

Operating the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks in a sound business environment which  contributes to rather than detracts from the organizational mission and objectives.

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from the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks.