About
The Houston Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that distributes food and other essentials to people in need across 18 southeast Texas counties, working through a network of more than 1,600 community partners and Affiliate Food Banks. Founded in 1982 and a member of Feeding America, it operates from a 308,000 square foot facility at 535 Portwall Street in Houston under the banner "Filling Pantries. Filling Lives."
Mission
The Houston Food Bank's mission is "Food for better lives." Around 1 million people in the 18 southeast Texas counties it serves are considered food insecure, lacking consistent access to enough nutritious food to fuel a healthy life. Beyond food distribution, the food bank provides programs and services aimed at helping families achieve long-term stability, including nutrition education, health management, and help securing state-funded assistance.
What they do
- Distributes food and essentials through 1,600+ community partners across 18 counties
- Backpack Buddy and Kids Cafe, providing food for children
- School Market and Teachers Aid programs in schools
- Senior Box Program for older adults
- Community Assistance Program (CAP) and Community Resource Centers
- Food For Change, Medically Tailored Meals, and Nutrition & Health programs
- Help applying for SNAP and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)
History
The Houston Food Bank first opened its doors on March 8, 1982, in a north Houston storefront donated by Joan and Stanford Alexander, with founding forces based at Houston Metropolitan Ministries (now Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston). By the end of 1984 it had joined the Second Harvest Network, now Feeding America, and was handling more than 3,000,000 pounds of food as the largest food bank in Texas. In 1988 it moved into a 73,000 square foot warehouse donated by Albert and Ethel Herzstein, and by 1997 it was the nation's fourth largest food bank. In 2007 it agreed to purchase the former Sysco Distribution Center at 535 Portwall Street, now its headquarters, which houses offices, a conference center for up to 400 people, a 10,000 square foot kitchen, and a food storage warehouse.
Financials
Per Form 990 data on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, for the fiscal year ending June 2025 the Houston Food Bank reported revenue of $435,363,433 (98.9 percent from contributions, which for food banks include donated food), expenses of $429,808,230, and net assets of $150,424,235. Brian Greene serves as President/CEO per the most recent filing. The organization's EIN is 74-2181456.