Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank

What Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank does

The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization (EIN 34-1369388), founded in 1982 and headquartered in Akron, Ohio, that distributes food and essential products to a network of more than 600 partner food pantries, meal sites, and hunger-relief programs across eight counties in Northeast Ohio (Carroll, Holmes, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas, and Wayne). It operates two physical campuses — the Main Campus in Akron (350 Opportunity Pkwy, housing the Venarge Family Food Pantry & Resource Center) and the Stark County Campus in Canton (1365 Cherry Ave NE, housing the Keith D. Monda Family Food Pantry & Resource Center, opened in 2021) — plus a mobile pop-up pantry fleet operating across Medina, Stark, and Portage counties. Its programmatic portfolio spans fixed and mobile food distribution, the annual Harvest for Hunger Campaign (the foodbank's largest fundraiser, conducted jointly with Greater Cleveland Foodbank across 21 Northeast Ohio counties), the Community Harvest food-rescue program (collecting surplus perishable food from restaurants and retailers, including the Starbucks FoodShare program launched at the foodbank in 2017), the Agency Direct Pickup (ADP) distribution model, backpack programs for schoolchildren, the I PROMISE School food pantry in partnership with the LeBron James Family Foundation, and the federal Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) for seniors.

The organization is led by President and CEO Dan Flowers and governed by an independent board of directors. It is a member of Feeding America's national network (named 2012 Food Bank of the Year) and the Ohio Foodbank Association, and maintains relationships with major corporate sponsors including Giant Eagle, Walmart, Target, Starbucks, Goodyear, Bridgestone, FirstEnergy, Huntington Bank, Timken, Nationwide, Kaulig Companies, and healthcare partners including Cleveland Clinic Akron General, University Hospitals, and Aultman Health Foundation.

Revenue (in the nonprofit sense of contributions and program income) derives from four primary streams: individual donations (online giving, monthly giving, tribute gifts), corporate partnerships (Major Partner Program, in-kind support), federal and State government food programs (67% of food sourced through USDA/State donations), and food rescue (donated perishable food). The organization provides all services free of charge to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity, with no pricing model. Notable recent operational signals include a 187% year-over-year increase in purchased food in early 2026 in response to declining government food support, and expansion of the fundraising footprint through new transit partnerships with METRO RTA and SARTA.

Name

Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank

Legal name

Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank

Website

https://akroncantonfoodbank.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that distributes food through two campuses, a mobile pop-up pantry fleet, and a 600+ partner agency network across eight Northeast Ohio counties, serving food-insecure individuals, children, and seniors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hunger Relief Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Food bank services
• Hunger relief programs
• Food distribution network
• Community food assistance
• Food rescue programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Akron

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Direct donations from individuals through online giving, monthly giving programs, and tribute gifts
2. Corporate Partnerships: Major partner program with corporate sponsors including financial contributions and in-kind support
3. Government Food Programs: 67% of food sourced from State or USDA donated food through federal nutrition programs
4. Food Rescue: Food rescue programs partnering with retailers and restaurants to recover perishable food

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank collects, warehouses, and distributes food and essential products to a network of more than 600 partner food pantries, shelters, and hunger-relief programs across eight Northeast Ohio counties, while also operating direct-to-client grocery distributions through two permanent pantries and a fleet of mobile pop-up pantries. Services are provided free of charge to food-insecure individuals and families and are funded through donations, corporate sponsorships, and federal food programs.

Product overview

The Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank operates as a regional food distribution nonprofit with a core offering of food pantry operations at two fixed locations (Main Campus in Akron and Stark County Campus in Canton), supplemented by mobile Pop-Up Food Pantries serving multiple counties. Its programmatic portfolio includes the Harvest for Hunger Campaign (annual fundraising), Community Harvest Program (food rescue), Agency Direct Pickup (ADP) distribution model, Starbucks FoodShare partnership, school-based programs including the I PROMISE School Food Pantry and backpack programs, and senior nutrition programs like CSFP. The organization also engages volunteers and corporate partners to support its network of over 600 hunger-relief partners across eight Northeast Ohio counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Harvest for Hunger Campaign: The Foodbank's largest annual fundraising campaign supporting food distribution year-round across 21 counties in Northeast Ohio.
• Community Harvest
• Agency Direct Pickup (ADP)

Products and services

• Food Pantry Operations Direct food distribution through two fixed-location pantries (the Venarge Family Food Pantry at the Main Campus in Akron and the Keith D. Monda Family Food Pantry at the Stark County Campus in Canton) offering weekly grocery pickup to households facing food insecurity.
• Pop-Up Food Pantries Mobile food distribution program that brings groceries directly to communities across Medina, Stark, and Portage counties through a fleet of pop-up pantry vehicles, offering both walk-thru and drive-thru formats.
• Harvest for Hunger Campaign Annual fundraising campaign, the foodbank's largest, conducted jointly with the Greater Cleveland Foodbank and two Second Harvest Food Banks across 21 Northeast Ohio counties to support food distribution year-round.
• Community Harvest Program Prepared and perishable food rescue program that collects donations from restaurants, grocery stores, banquet facilities, and hospitals, relying on volunteer drivers to deliver food directly to hunger-relief programs.
• Agency Direct Pickup (ADP) Innovative distribution model that empowers hunger-relief partners within the network to pick up food donations directly from donors, designed for partners with limited storage capacity.
• I PROMISE School Food Pantry School-based food pantry operated in partnership with Akron Public Schools and The LeBron James Family Foundation, offering wraparound services and family support within the I PROMISE School setting.
• Backpack Programs Student food programs that provide backpacks filled with kid-friendly food items to elementary students weekly, serving multiple school districts including Ravenna and Windham.
• Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) Federally funded program administered through The Salvation Army that improves the health of low-income seniors by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA foods.
• Volunteer Programs Volunteer opportunities including sorting and repacking food donations, helping at grocery distributions, supporting events, working in the volunteer center, and driving for food rescue programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5.1 million meals provided through Harvest for Hunger Campaign
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and major.

• METRO RTAcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 May 2026Public transportation partner for new Stuff the Bus event collecting food donations across Summit County. Buses collect from businesses and deliver directly to foodbank, saving time and fuel costs.
• SARTA (Stark Area Regional Transit Authority)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 April 2026Transit authority partner for Stuff the Bus event for over 20 years, helping provide thousands of meals. Delivers donations directly to Stark County Campus.
• Feeding AmericaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational affiliation with Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief organization. Provides access to national resources, food sourcing, and network support.
• Ohio Foodbank AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level affiliation connecting the foodbank with other Ohio food banks for shared resources and advocacy.
• Giant EaglemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor retail partner and sponsor. Customers can donate at Giant Eagle locations.
• WalmartmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor corporate partner supporting hunger-relief efforts.
• TargetmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting foodbank operations.
• StarbuckscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerParticipates in FoodShare program donating surplus food. Program began at foodbank in 2017.
• Goodyear Tire & Rubber CompanymajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor corporate volunteer partner. 300 employees volunteered for Global Week of Contributing approximately 750 service hours.
• Buehler's Fresh FoodsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerGrocery partner for Harvest for Hunger Campaign accepting customer donations.
• Heinen's Grocery StoremajorGTM or Marketing PartnerGrocery partner for Harvest for Hunger Campaign accepting customer donations.
• Dave's MarketmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerGrocery partner for Harvest for Hunger Campaign accepting customer donations.
• GetGomajorGTM or Marketing PartnerGrocery partner for Harvest for Hunger Campaign accepting customer donations.
• Cleveland Clinic Akron GeneralcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHealthcare partner participating in Harvest for Hunger Campaign caravan appreciation events.
• University HospitalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner addressing hunger and improving health outcomes through food assistance programs.
• Aultman Health FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare foundation funding Resource Room at Stark County Campus providing employment navigation, health screenings, and community referrals.
• LeBron James Family FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner for I PROMISE School food pantry, providing wraparound services in school setting.
• Bridgestone AmericasmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner participating in Stuff the Bus and Harvest for Hunger events.
• Akron Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner for I PROMISE School food pantry program.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Greater Cleveland Foodbank: Direct peer regional Feeding America food bank serving Northeast Ohio. Co-runs the multi-county Harvest for Hunger Campaign with Akron-Canton, sharing donors, food sourcing, and program design — making it the closest functional comparison.
• Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio: Regional Feeding America food bank covering Lorain, Erie, Huron, and surrounding counties. Joins Akron-Canton and Greater Cleveland in the Harvest for Hunger Campaign, operating a comparable distribution-and-pantry model across a similar population base.
• Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley: Regional Feeding America food bank serving Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull counties in Northeast Ohio. Shares the same Feeding America network affiliation, donor types, and operating model as Akron-Canton.
• Mid-Ohio Food Collective: Central Ohio Feeding America member food bank operating a similar pantries-plus-mobile model with partner agencies. Comparable scale and operational structure to Akron-Canton though serving a different region.
• West Ohio Food Bank: Ohio-based Feeding America member food bank providing a similar partner-agency distribution model. Represents another state-level comparator for funding, governance, and capacity benchmarks.
• Freestore Foodbank: Cincinnati-based Feeding America food bank with a comparable pantries, mobile, and partner-agency structure. Operates a similarly integrated health-and-hunger programming model through healthcare partners.
• Food Bank of the Rockies: Larger multi-state Feeding America food bank (Colorado + Wyoming) operating a comparable direct-pantry and partner-agency model. Useful benchmark for scale, fundraising, and food-rescue operations.
• Gleaners Community Food Bank: Michigan-based Feeding America food bank with a comparable partner-agency, mobile-pantry, and food-rescue program mix. Useful peer for benchmarking operational efficiency and program diversification.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National umbrella network of 200+ member food banks including Akron-Canton. Sets operational standards, channels USDA food, and coordinates national corporate partnerships that benefit member banks like the subject.
• Houston Food Bank: One of the largest Feeding America member food banks nationally, with a similar distribution model but materially larger scale. Provides a strategic benchmark for capacity expansion and corporate partnership depth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ACRFoodbank
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/acrfb/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/akroncantonfoodbank
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acrfoodbank
• Instagraminstagram.com/acrfoodbank

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank