{"id":120746,"date":"2026-01-16T16:39:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T16:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/120746\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T16:39:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T16:39:07","slug":"impact-on-hunger-harry-chapin-food-bank-distributes-38-7-million-pounds-of-food-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/120746\/","title":{"rendered":"Impact on hunger: Harry Chapin Food Bank distributes 38.7 million pounds of food in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>More food, more fresh fruits and vegetables and a third of a million people served, that\u2019s the sum total of Harry Chapin Food Bank\u2019s impact in 2025. <\/p>\n<p>The food bank\u2019s eight-page 2025 Impact Report demonstrates the nonprofit\u2019s progress toward its mission of ending hunger in Southwest Florida.<\/p>\n<p>In 2025, the Food Bank distributed 38.7 million pounds of food, including 12 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables. The portion of fresh produce represents a 14.3% increase over the prior year. Overall, the Food Bank served about 300,000 neighbors each month across five counties:<\/p>\n<p>Lee County: 19 million pounds (22.64 pounds per person based on population of 839,223)Collier County: 11.5 million pounds (27.82 pounds per person based on population of 413,314)Charlotte County: 5.2 million pounds (23.27 pounds per person based on population of 223,430)Hendry County: 2.2 million pounds (46.72 pounds per person based on population of 47,085)Glades County: 705,200 pounds (54.02 pounds per person based on population of 13,055)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we think about this past year, we don\u2019t see numbers&#8230; we see faces,\u201d said President and CEO Richard LeBer. \u201cWe see the relief on a mother\u2019s face when she fills a grocery cart at a partner pantry after a slow season cut her hours at work. We picture the smile of a child opening a backpack and finding food to take home for the weekend. We remember the quiet \u2018thank you\u2019 from a senior who no longer has to choose between medicine and dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harry Chapin Food Bank, the region\u2019s largest hunger-relief organization and only Feeding America partner food bank, provided food through a variety of sources, including agency partners, mobile pantries and mobile markets. It also distributed food to children through Harry\u2019s Helpings and in-school pantry programs, and to older residents through the Care and Share Senior Feeding Program and Commodity Supplemental Food Program.<\/p>\n<p>In 2025, the Food Bank provided 556 health and nutrition classes, which attracted 1,687 seniors, 1,200 adults and 417 children. A total of 4,300 volunteers collectively gave 49,000 hours of their time, which equates to $1.5 million of in-kind service.<\/p>\n<p>Harry Chapin Food Bank\u2019s 2025 Impact Report is available for download at <a href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com%2Fls%2Fclick%3Fupn%3Du001.LMdXjQvZ1EPt1gvkZCgHMSC1VB-2BhkAV7l-2FMJSmdnNQTvEDhwjEVS1Q-2BNnD-2FvVXZ9VRxl1zRcyV5uMYQDm-2FeEHGfK-2B1vmQmvO21urBBNgqUE-3D-b0O_bD8lVjuX-2FRR2c-2BFxU-2FbML9fPxeD1ksho8PRHjD90rFWpKHP-2BExRCdUE0xF5rqvIn4yoeE9O1a8VHBj0o92w-2FFQktvG8K4-2B42dKuHpns17tmx-2Byae-2B39U0j2xPUrmiLE62nt9X-2FNv192NT2WinYXBgG8pHH7KeEvPdICF41K74vFMfrVhalp-2BivrvsF1Q3Xs0-2Bz3i5Cqmy1CSoAsNWSQZsilGL60w45q0IMBIiHj-2BPUfydx33150gLloioqFgno42xKvtM5DxO3x52NKGCED4pxsexhxOCviF2HUyi4ZzRnXUA8Sw9iaHKFbJWvx1PwcoMet6LVkE7fZo3h4Hnw2Kc8ORJTio0UsVGUjAG3UD96MgH4NlxYqLA7lzVyL4iIWY&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cmbraun%40wgcu.org%7Ce6ef02e2976b475bb4af08de549ec469%7Cf7a5a4ef4ffa4c80bfb3c12e28872099%7C0%7C0%7C639041238395178662%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=4nnKAQVl1hTupDgpkhmsBkkvwVv3%2Bk59%2FerwE5UQT04%3D&amp;reserved=0\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">online.fliphtml5.com\/harrychapinfoodbank\/25-impact-report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>About Harry Chapin Food Bank<\/p>\n<p>Harry Chapin Food Bank, a Feeding America partner food bank, is the largest hunger-relief organization in Southwest Florida. In 2025, the nonprofit distributed 38.7 million pounds of food through its agency partners, mobile pantries, mobile markets and programs for local children and seniors. The nonprofit serves nearly 300,000 neighbors per month across Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties. Harry Chapin Food Bank is an Agency Partner of United Way, Blueprint Partner of the Naples Children Foundation, rated as a Four-Star Charity by Charity Navigator and Platinum-rated by Candid\u2019s GuideStar. For more information, please visit <a href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com%2Fls%2Fclick%3Fupn%3Du001.LMdXjQvZ1EPt1gvkZCgHMRAEcdT8ctb4WovajhYz6omVCrqTV2C1gefRZJNEqU8SkaVu_bD8lVjuX-2FRR2c-2BFxU-2FbML9fPxeD1ksho8PRHjD90rFWpKHP-2BExRCdUE0xF5rqvIn4yoeE9O1a8VHBj0o92w-2FFQktvG8K4-2B42dKuHpns17tmx-2Byae-2B39U0j2xPUrmiLE62nt9X-2FNv192NT2WinYXBgG8pHH7KeEvPdICF41K74vFMfrVhalp-2BivrvsF1Q3Xs0-2Bz3i5Cqmy1CSoAsNWSQZshWRlPYBHopHyGuzSyHEs3861r7LOL5dJJoGxVxZ1c2VSMmyGixOyrjZTR7ZnPy2cysnQHFQhoa87GWHkxK7kmOPxy8Yj37rVF94E3xb9eL-2FiJ5attnB9nxf3ydU1qf9Mz5hNDnl5gzMbHDYcDmj1HESSVMqRugcjmD4iEqXKMoi&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cmbraun%40wgcu.org%7Ce6ef02e2976b475bb4af08de549ec469%7Cf7a5a4ef4ffa4c80bfb3c12e28872099%7C0%7C0%7C639041238395203658%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=9%2FoXSeMuEy0qYtM26pChBngsBjAbsNCjt6SlfrgGlvk%3D&amp;reserved=0\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">HarryChapinFoodBank.org<\/a> or call 239-334-7007.<\/p>\n<p>WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/wgcu.secureallegiance.com\/wgcu\/WebModule\/Donate.aspx?P=JOURNALISM&amp;PAGETYPE=PLG&amp;CHECK=Fh6V9MuzTVcdN7RxIr2SYb1YhDw50SikSh2nq0qouhg%3d\" class=\"Link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">donate\u00a0<\/a>now. Thank you. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"More food, more fresh fruits and vegetables and a third of a million people served, that\u2019s the sum&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":120747,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":{"0":"post-120746","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cape-coral","8":"tag-cape-coral","9":"tag-cape-coral-headlines","10":"tag-cape-coral-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}