If you’re looking for food banks near you, we’re here to help. Below we’ve featured 10 top food banks in Kentucky.
1. Jessamine County Food Pantry
Jessamine County Food Pantry was founded in 2004 in Nicholasville, a small town south of Lexington. Those Jessamine County residents suffering from food poverty can shop the market-style food pantry to get through each month without going hungry.
You can help the Jessamine County Food Pantry by donating money or food. Contact them via one of the methods listed here if you’d like to volunteer to help run the pantry or have any other questions.
2. Bread of Life Food Pantry
Located in Prospect, KY, the Bread of Life Food Pantry was created in 2021 when Dare to Care and Grace and Glory Lutheran Church joined together in their efforts to help Oldham County residents escape food insecurity. Also operating as an open-market style pantry, Bread of Life allows pre-registered visitors a monthly opportunity to “shop” the pantry’s stock of non-perishables and dried goods.
As Bread of Life is entirely volunteer run and supported by the local community, they rely on the monetary donations and the food donations they receive in their 24 hour donation box. You can also contact them to become a volunteer or if you have any other questions about how the pantry works.
3. Ohio County Food Pantry
Once a month, qualifying Ohio County residents can access the Ohio County Food Pantry in Hartford, KY, to receive enough food to last at least a week. The pantry also participates in a county-wide ‘Backpack Ministry,’ providing hungry school children with enough food to last them the weekend at home.
You can donate money to the food pantry either online or by mailing a check to the pantry itself. If you’d like to donate food or become a volunteer, check out this page to find out how. You can also contact the pantry directly if you have any specific questions or need any other information.
4. Be Concerned
With two locations in Covington and Erlanger, Be Concerned provides a range of services to Northern Kentucky residents suffering from food insecurity. Their monthly food market allows eligible visitors to ‘shop’ their market-style pantry of canned and dried foods, as well as dairy, meats, and fresh produce. There is also an emergency food provision, as well as a senior and homebound service. The pantry is even working with Mount St. Joseph to help food insecure college students.
Because of the wide range of services Be Concerned offers a wide range of methods to support their mission by donating money, goods, or your time. If you have any other questions, contact them here.
5. Berea Food Bank
Run by the Berea Faith Community Center in Berea, KY, the Berea Food Bank opens three days a week during lunchtime to provide residents suffering from food poverty with a week’s worth of food. Residents don’t need to make an appointment or anything; they can simply show up once a month with proof of address to receive their pre-packaged food box consisting of dried and canned goods.
Because Berea Food Bank is a charity organization, they rely on monetary donations from the local community. You can donate here or contact them to find out how you can volunteer or donate foods and other goods.
6. Christian Food Bank
The Christian Food Bank in Madisonville has been serving the food insecure residents of Hopkins County since 1983. Eligible visitors can receive a food box of canned and dried foods once a month to ensure they don’t go hungry.
If you want to help distribute food, you can sign up to be a volunteer here. You can also donate food or food items directly to the pantry or donate money to help the food bank’s operations. You can also purchase items from their virtual food drive. Contact them by phone or visiting the food bank to find out other ways to help or if you have any other questions.
7. Sterling Community Food Coalition
Opened in 2017 in Mt Sterling, the Sterling Community Food Coalition serves Montgomery County individuals and families suffering from food insecurity. The coalition rescues food from being wasted by local businesses and redistributes it to families in need. They also partner with God’s Pantry Food Bank in Lexington to provide fresh produce, meat, and dairy to those visiting the coalition’s food pantry.
To help support the efforts of Sterling Community Food Coalition, you can donate money to help purchase food from the food bank or volunteer your time to stocking and distributing food during pantry hours. Visit their social media page to contact them directly and stay up to date on the latest events.
8. Action Ministries
In 1994, Tom Dorman started Action Ministries out of small church resource room in Covington as he saw a growing need in the community for help accessing food and clothing. The demand for such help grew so much that, after nearly 10 years, Action Ministries moved to a large building in Latonia, where they now distribute monthly food boxes to eligible residents of Kenton, Boone, Campbell, Grant, and Pendleton counties.
Action Ministries has a variety of ways you can volunteer to support their mission. Contact them to find out how to donate food, grocery items, or money to the pantry.
9. SVDP Bread for Life
Not to be confused with the Bread of Life, the SVDP Bread for Life Community Food Pantry in Bardstown operates as an open market-style food pantry. They’re open four days a week to support the 2,100 households in Nelson County who are living below the poverty line. Besides the food pantry, SVDP Bread for Life also runs a monthly senior food box distribution service and a ‘meals on wheels’ delivery service to low-income, housebound seniors.
You can help support Bread for Life by volunteering at the pantry or donating online. If you need any other information or would like to find out how to access their services, contact them via email or phone.
10. Open Hands Pantry
Located in Lawrenceburg, Open Hands Pantry is a truly community operated food pantry started by local businesses, churches, and schools to help struggling households in Anderson County. They provide emergency food boxes and monthly food boxes full of USDA products to those suffering from food insecurity. They also provide food and support specifically to seniors and veterans, where needed. To encourage a sense of community and provide peer support, they also run hot dinners where anyone is invited, regardless of income.
If you’d like to help, you can support them by donating food and grocery items, donating money, or volunteering to stock and distribute food. Contact them for more information.
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