Northwest Arkansas Food Bank

What Northwest Arkansas Food Bank does

Founded in 1988 (originally as the Ozark Food Bank, renamed in 2007), the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving as the sole regional food bank for four Northwest Arkansas counties: Benton, Carroll, Madison, and Washington. The organization addresses food insecurity for 89,000+ individuals, including children, working families, seniors on fixed incomes, and people in crisis, and is one of six Feeding America member food banks in Arkansas within a national network of 200+. In 2025, NWAFB distributed 14.4 million pounds of food and provided 12 million+ meals.

Name

Northwest Arkansas Food Bank

Legal name

Northwest Arkansas Food Bank

Website

https://nwafoodbank.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hunger Relief & Food Distribution Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Springdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible monetary donations from individuals. For every $1 donated, the organization provides up to 2 meals. Monthly giving club (24/7 Champions) and mid-level giving club (Friends Feeding Friends) provide recurring donation streams.
2. Stock and Securities Donations: Donors can transfer appreciated stocks, bonds, or mutual fund shares. The full fair market value is tax-deductible with no capital gains tax obligation on appreciation. Processed through Pershing LLC (DTC# 0443, account# ST6337098).
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Annual sponsorships at various giving levels that help fund food distribution programs. Sponsors receive benefit packages tailored to company needs. Contact via [email protected].
4. Cause Marketing Partnerships: Business partnerships providing mutual brand benefits through cause marketing campaigns, events, and community impact initiatives. Studies cited show consumers favor brands with strong CSR commitments.
5. Food and Grocery Donations: Donations secured from the food and grocery industries, government agencies (TEFAP/USDA commodity foods represent 15-18% of distribution), and other organizations. TEFAP foods are USDA commodity commodities distributed under The Emergency Food Assistance Program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that acquires donated food from individuals, corporations, and USDA commodity programs, then distributes it to food-insecure individuals and families across Benton, Carroll, Madison, and Washington counties. Distribution occurs through nearly 100 agency partner sites, a Mobile Pantry with 19 monthly stops, the Feed Rogers client-choice pantry, Market on the Move mobile food truck, school pantry locations, and emergency food boxes.

Product overview

The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank operates as a single-entity food distribution nonprofit with multiple programs serving four counties in Northwest Arkansas. The core offering is food distribution through a network of approximately 100 agency partners, supplemented by direct service programs including Mobile Pantry (19 monthly stops), Feed Rogers Client Choice Pantry, Market on the Move mobile truck, School Pantry, and SNAP Outreach. Additional programs include the Teaching Garden, Pantry-to-Plate cooking classes, and Emergency Boxes. Supporting services include online/stock donation platforms, volunteer programs, food drives, and cause marketing partnerships. The Protein Pack Room processes donated bulk protein for distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Feed Rogers: A free client-choice pantry program established in 2022 in partnership with St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church & Society, located at 216 S. 13th Street, Rogers, AR
• Market on the Move
• Mobile Pantry Program
• School Pantry Program
• Protein Pack Room

Products and services

• Mobile Pantry A drive-through food distribution program that makes 19 stops throughout Northwest Arkansas once per month, providing pre-made boxes of shelf-stable products, frozen protein, and fresh produce on a first-come, first-served basis to food-insecure individuals and families.
• Feed Rogers Client-Choice Pantry A free client-choice pantry at 216 S. 13th Street, Rogers, where guests can select their own food from shelves rather than receiving pre-packed boxes, providing dignity and reducing food waste. Open Tuesday through Saturday with varying hours.
• Market on the Move A choice-based mobile food truck program offering a dignified, grocery-style experience where neighbors can select fresh produce, shelf-stable items, and frozen protein directly inside the truck in areas with limited food access.
• School Pantry Program Partnership with area schools to provide food to students and their families, allowing food pickup at schools when families collect their children, eliminating extra trips to a food pantry.
• Emergency Food Boxes Shelf-stable food boxes distributed through partnerships with local hospitals and community helpers including PACE of the Ozarks, Community Clinic, Veterans Healthcare System of the Ozarks, and Arkansas Children's Hospital-Northwest, serving as a first line of defense for families facing food insecurity.
• Agency Partner Network Network of nearly 100 agency partner organizations including food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters across four counties that receive bulk food shipments from the food bank and distribute directly to food-insecure neighbors.
• SNAP Outreach Assistance for individuals and families in applying for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and education on available benefits and resources.
• Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program Program providing eligible seniors with access to fresh produce through farmers markets in Northwest Arkansas.
• Teaching Garden A garden where volunteers work to maintain and harvest a variety of fruits and vegetables, providing hands-on nutrition education to community members.
• Pantry-to-Plate Cooking Classes Free six-week cooking classes taught in the Teaching Kitchen by the Nutrition Education Coordinator, where participants learn recipes, cooking skills, and nutrition tips using items commonly available at food pantries.
• Protein Pack Room USDA-inspected facility that repackages bulk protein donated by Tyson Foods, Cargill, and Simmons from 40-lb boxes and 2,000-lb totes into household-sized portions, producing an average of 40,000 pounds of family-sized protein packages per week and reaching the one million pounds processed milestone.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14.4 million pounds of food distributed; 12 million+ meals provided in 2025
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Feeding AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Northwest Arkansas Food Bank is one of six Feeding America food banks in Arkansas and one of over 200 in the Feeding America network. Feeding America provides research, advocacy, network resources, and grant funding (e.g., $200,000 grant for Protein Pack Room equipment with Tyson Foods and Cargill).
• St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church & SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeed Rogers client-choice pantry established in 2022 as a program of the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank in partnership with St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church & Society.
• Arkansas Children's Hospital-NorthwestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in emergency food box distribution program for families facing food insecurity.
• Veterans Healthcare System of the OzarksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in emergency food box distribution for veterans facing food insecurity.
• Community ClinicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in emergency food box distribution program.
• PACE of the OzarksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in emergency food box distribution program.
• KNWA (NBC Affiliate)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal NBC affiliate media partner for annual cereal drives (second annual KNWA Cereal Drive in 2026 targeting 150,000+ breakfast item units) and media day events supporting food bank awareness and fundraising.
• Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&GmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLPGA tournament that is a major supporter of the food bank, generously giving back each year. The food bank assists with volunteer shift fulfillment for the BITE event at the tournament.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Arkansas Foodbank: Central Arkansas Foodbank is one of the other five Feeding America food banks in Arkansas. It runs a comparable model of bulk food sourcing, agency partner distribution, mobile pantries, and donor-driven programs across an adjacent service territory.
• Ozarks Food Harvest: Springfield, Missouri-based Feeding America affiliate serving southwest Missouri with a comparable agency-partner distribution model and similar scale of pounds distributed annually. The most direct geographic peer and the closest operational analog.
• Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma: Oklahoma's largest Feeding America affiliate distributing millions of pounds of food across central and western Oklahoma through an agency partner network and mobile distributions, with comparable rural-urban mix and corporate partnerships.
• St. Louis Area Foodbank: Major Feeding America food bank serving eastern Missouri and neighboring counties, operating agency partner distribution, mobile pantries, and choice-based pantries - comparable operating model with somewhat larger geographic scale.
• Food Bank of the Rockies: Colorado-based Feeding America affiliate distributing tens of millions of pounds of food annually through an agency partner network, mobile pantries, and client-choice pantries - directly comparable in program mix and revenue model.
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida: Feeding America affiliate distributing tens of millions of pounds across central Florida through an agency partner network, mobile pantries, and choice-based pantries - closely comparable in program portfolio and donor-driven revenue model.
• Gleaners Community Food Bank: Indiana-based Feeding America affiliate running agency-partner distribution, mobile pantries, and client-choice pantries with strong corporate partnerships - highly comparable in operational structure and scale to NWAFB.
• Food Bank of North Alabama: Feeding America affiliate serving 11 counties in north Alabama through an agency partner network and mobile distributions - comparable in mid-sized regional food bank profile with similar pounds-distributed scale.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National umbrella organization of 200+ food banks including NWAFB. Provides network-wide research, advocacy, branded food sourcing, and grant funding (including a $200K Protein Pack Room grant). Larger and broader, but operationally entwined with NWAFB's distribution model.
• Houston Food Bank: One of the largest Feeding America food banks in the U.S., distributing well over 100 million pounds annually. Operates a comparable model but at materially greater scale; serves as a benchmark for what scaled-up regional food bank operations can look like.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nwafoodbank
• Facebookfacebook.com/nwafoodbank
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nwafoodbank

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

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 Northwest Arkansas Food Bank