Project HOPE Food Bank

Project HOPE food bank is located in Hot Springs Arkansas.  We opened in 2009 after an advisory board, Project HOPE Health Coalition, determined it would benefit Central Arkansas to have available a local Food Bank.  Project HOPE is under the direction of Ted Thompson and an advisory board of directors.    We are a 501 (c)3 nonprofit.  Including our director, we are volunteer based.  Our warehouse space is donated by Keith Smith Company and we have an extremely low overhead which allows us to allocate approximately 95% of our resources to fulfilling our mission.   We do not directly distribute to the public instead we collaborate with partnering agencies to reach those in need.   Please feel free to contact us for a list of available pantries in our area.  
Our Programs

Food Subsidy Program

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Project HOPE Food Bank partners with local retailers and national distributors to purchase foods at a wholesale cost.   We partner these saving with grants and donations in assisting agencies that serve those in need.   By purchasing through a variety of channels, we are able acquire a large number of nutritional products. The variety of items is important because of the diversity of the clients each agency serves.  We partner with children's homes, feeding programs, and community and faith based pantries. 

Senior Emergency Food Box Program

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The Senior Emergency Food Box Program was made possible through a grant from the Walmart State Giving Foundation. With this grant, along with donations and food drives, we are able to offer assistance to seniors facing food insecurity in our community.   National Foundation to End Senior Hunger reported “Arkansas is ranked #1 in senior hunger nationally. An estimated 240,000 Arkansans over the age of 60 are food insecure; that’s nearly 40% of Arkansas seniors.”  Our program has reached 1,100 senior food insecure households.

 

Emergency Food Box Program

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​Project HOPE also has an emergency food box program.  The mission of this program is to provide immediate relief to families in need.   These food boxes include approximately 50 pounds of canned fruits, vegetables, soups and meat, dried beans, potatoes, macaroni and cheese, cereal, peanut butter and jelly, pasta and sauces along with shelf stable milk.  The emergency food boxes are distributed through area schools, Charitable Christian Clinic, Cancer Centers, Community Counseling along with physicians and hospital emergency rooms.  This program is made available through the United Way of Garland County.

Backpack Program

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Your support to Project HOPE Food Bank, partnered with grants, provides food to children through the school back pack program.  Many of these children receive the majority of their nutrition through school lunch programs.  Providing food for the week-end assists in closing nutritional gaps caused by food insecurity.  Children struggle emotional and physical effect when faced with hunger.
The 2016 backpack program is made available through grants from the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas, The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance in partnership with State Representative John Vines and Bruce Cozart and Bank of the Ozarks.