Great Plains Food Bank

What Great Plains Food Bank does

Great Plains Food Bank, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, is the state's only food bank and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate of the Feeding America network. The organization distributes food to combat hunger across North Dakota and Clay County, Minnesota, through a network of 205 partner agencies — food pantries, shelters, and meal sites — operating in 104 communities. In 2025, it served 167,163 individuals (an 11% year-over-year increase), distributed 14.8 million pounds of food supplying 12.65 million meals, and logged 217,775 miles via its truck fleet. Its program portfolio spans direct distribution (Mobile Food Pantry, Partner Pantry Network), child-focused programs (Backpack, School Pantry, Youth Summer Meals), senior food packs, rural food access, SNAP outreach, Retail Rescue food recovery, federal TEFAP administration, Disaster Outreach, and the Ending Hunger 2.0 strategic initiative.

The organization operates on a technology stack of third-party platforms rather than proprietary technology: Primarius Web Windows (PWW) for partner agency online ordering and inventory, MealConnect for electronic intake replacing paper forms, and DonorPerfect for donor database management. The Partner Agency Resource Center (PARC) serves as the operational hub, bundling these tools with toolkits for food drives, food safety, client choice, and succession planning. No public-facing API, mobile application, or proprietary AI/ML capabilities are offered. Infrastructure consists of the Statewide Distribution Center in Fargo, a Regional Service Center in Bismarck, and a new 70,500 sq. ft. statewide distribution center under construction in Fargo (Harvesting Hope Campaign) expected to begin operations in fall 2027 and double distribution capacity.

Great Plains Food Bank's revenue model is nonprofit and donation-driven: services are provided at no cost to recipients, with funding sourced from individual and corporate charitable donations, government grants and federal programs (TEFAP, SNAP outreach support, state contingency funds), and capital campaign contributions for infrastructure projects. Major revenue streams include Giving Hearts Day fundraising (surpassing $1 million), major donor capital campaign gifts (Starion Bank $250K, Choice Bank $100K, Fairchild Equipment $75K in-kind), and a $20 million New Markets Tax Credit allocation from Rural Development Partners LLC for the new distribution facility. The organization employs 11-50 staff and is governed by a Board of Directors; it is not publicly traded and has no parent company or PE/VC ownership.

Name

Great Plains Food Bank

Legal name

Great Plains Food Bank

Website

https://greatplainsfoodbank.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Great Plains Food Bank is North Dakota's only food bank, distributing 14.8 million pounds of food in 2025 to 167,163 individuals across 104 communities through 205 partner agencies, and serves children, seniors, rural populations, and SNAP recipients statewide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hunger Relief and Food Bank Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Waste Reduction & Diversion Services (Donation, Animal Feed, Source Reduction Programs) (EUAIAEAH), Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAF)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Fargo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual and Corporate Donations: Charitable donations from individuals, businesses, and organizations to support food distribution operations and programs
2. Government Grants and Programs: Federal programs including TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program), SNAP outreach support, and state contingency funds during emergencies
3. Capital Campaign Contributions: Major donations and campaign contributions for infrastructure projects such as the Harvesting Hope Campaign for new statewide distribution center

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Great Plains Food Bank collects, warehouses, and distributes food at no cost to individuals and families facing food insecurity across North Dakota and Clay County, MN. Its core work combines a 205-agency partner pantry network, a Mobile Food Pantry program, and specialized hunger-relief programs for children, seniors, and rural communities, supplemented by federal program administration (TEFAP, SNAP outreach) and retail food rescue.

Product overview

Great Plains Food Bank operates as North Dakota's only food bank, offering a unified set of food assistance and distribution programs rather than a modular software platform. Its core products are organized into direct food distribution (partner food pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and mobile food pantry), federal programs (TEFAP and SNAP outreach), and specialized population programs (Feed Kids, Senior Food Packs, Wellness Pantry, and Rural Communities). Supporting these programs is the Partner Agency Resource Center (PARC), which houses the Primarius Web Windows (PWW) online ordering platform for partner agencies and the Service Insights on MealConnect electronic intake system. Infrastructure includes a Statewide Distribution Center in Fargo and a Regional Service Center in Bismarck, with a new 70,500 sq. ft. distribution center under construction in Fargo (Harvesting Hope Campaign, expected fall 2027). The organization also runs advocacy, disaster response, and Ending Hunger 2.0 strategic initiatives aimed at building equitable food systems. No public or partner-facing API is offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Partner Food Pantries, Shelters & Meal Sites Network

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 167,163 individuals in 2025 (11% increase YoY)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered campaign partner, network partner and coalition partner.

• America250 and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintscampaign partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2026Nationwide effort donating 40,000 pounds of food as part of America's 250th anniversary celebration. One of 250 truckload deliveries to support families facing hunger.
• Corwin Automotive Groupcampaign partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 March 2026Annual Stock the Shelves campaign partner. Joint campaign to address food insecurity across the region during critical giving periods.
• Feeding Americanetwork partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner food bank of Feeding America, the nation's food bank network. Provides access to national resources, best practices, and coordinated emergency response across the Feeding America network.
• 104° West Collaborative, Cultural Foods Initiatives, Kitchen Coalitioncoalition partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-based solution partners under the Ending Hunger 2.0 initiative working on equitable food systems, cultural food access, and kitchen infrastructure.
• Cass Clay Hunger Coalition, Creating a Hunger-Free North Dakota Coalitioncoalition partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition building initiatives bringing together stakeholders to address regional and statewide hunger challenges through coordinated advocacy and resource allocation.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Feeding America: National network of 200+ food banks of which Great Plains Food Bank is a partner member. Not a direct competitor but the network parent — relevant for understanding national supply coordination, brand standards, and best-practice benchmarking.
• Hunger Free North Dakota Coalition: Statewide coalition co-led by Great Plains Food Bank to coordinate hunger-relief advocacy and resource allocation. Adjacent/thematic peer in the regional anti-hunger ecosystem rather than a direct distribution competitor.

Direct peers

• Midwest Food Bank: Multi-state nonprofit food bank operating distribution centers across the Midwest. Comparable as a peer food bank using a similar model of large-scale distribution to partner agencies and disaster response, with similar volunteer-driven operations.
• Food Bank of the Rockies: Colorado and Wyoming Feeding America-affiliated food bank serving a similar low-density regional footprint. Directly comparable in partner-agency network model, mobile pantry distribution, and federal nutrition program administration.
• Second Harvest Heartland: Minnesota-based Feeding America-affiliated food bank distributing food across Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Directly comparable as a regional nonprofit food bank operating a partner-agency distribution model in an adjacent Upper Midwest service area.
• Gleaners Community Food Bank: Southeast Michigan Feeding America food bank with a similar mid-size regional footprint and partner agency network. Comparable in distributing millions of pounds of food annually through pantries, mobile distributions, and federal programs.
• North Texas Food Bank: Large regional Feeding America food bank serving 32 counties in North Texas. Comparable as a peer food bank operating partner pantries, mobile distributions, child nutrition programs, and SNAP outreach at scale.
• Food Bank of Iowa: Iowa-based Feeding America food bank serving a similarly rural, low-population state. Comparable in operating partner agencies, mobile pantries, child feeding programs, and disaster response for a sparsely populated region.

Broad incumbents

• Capital Area Food Bank: Washington DC-area Feeding America food bank and one of the largest in the U.S. Comparable in operating a full suite of programs (partner pantries, mobile markets, child nutrition, federal programs) at larger scale — useful as a scaled benchmark.

Regional players

• Channel One Regional Food Bank: Southeast Minnesota Feeding America food bank serving a comparable rural region. Comparable as a smaller-scale peer food bank in an adjacent geography with a similar partner-agency distribution model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GreatPlainsFoodBank
• Facebookfacebook.com/GreatPlainsFoodBank
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/greatplainsfoodbank
• Instagraminstagram.com/greatplainsfoodbank
• Xx.com/NDFoodBank

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Great Plains Food Bank