Anne Arundel County Food Bank Announces New Mission Statement

For the first time since its incorporation as a nonprofit, the Anne Arundel County Food Bank has revised its mission and vision statements in a move that will help govern decision-making over the coming years.

Since 1989, the mission of the Anne Arundel County Food Bank has read: “To fight hunger by assuring that all those in need, especially children, have access to food and other resources.”

The leadership at the Anne Arundel County Food Bank set out to refine how to share our purpose with language that better reflects the current state of our work in the community. The process to create the new statements began more than a year ago when the organization embarked on creating its inaugural strategic plan. The Anne Arundel County Food Bank’s board, staff, and key volunteers came together throughout the year to consider the elements of strong mission and vision statements.

The team at Anne Arundel County Food Bank is always mindful of the way in which we treat, think about, and share information regarding the people we serve in our community. The resulting mission and vision statements focus on updated language and terminology to read:

Mission:

To alleviate food insecurity in Anne Arundel County by partnering across our community to obtain and distribute nourishing food to our neighbors in need.

Vision:

All Anne Arundel County residents are free from food insecurity through regular access to nourishing food.

Some key changes include focusing on food insecurity instead of hunger. These terms are not interchangeable. “Hunger” is a broad and imprecise term used to describe a physical and emotional condition that ranges from easily remedied to utterly all-consuming. “Food insecurity” is the condition of not having access to sufficient food, or food of an adequate quality, to meet one’s basic needs. Food insecurity can take many forms, from people staring at empty kitchen cabinets, skipping meals, or purchasing low-quality foods to fill their stomachs, to having to make the heartbreaking decision between paying for medications or purchasing food for their families. Another key change is using the word “neighbor” to describe best the individuals Anne Arundel County Food Bank (AACFB) serves. AACFB is proud to make this change and invites community members to join us in speaking of anyone who is food insecure in our community as your neighbor.

“Respect and dignity are central to how we deliver services and how we share the story of food insecurity in Anne Arundel County,” said Leah Paley, Chief Executive Office of the Anne Arundel County Food Bank. “Going forward, these changes are in alignment with our peer institutions in the state and across the country.”

As the challenges of the pandemic and high inflation remain for our under-resourced neighbors, the AACFB is proud to roll out its new mission and vision statements to help the organization continue to adapt, grow, and strengthen its operations

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About Anne Arundel County Food Bank
Anne Arundel County Food Bank was incorporated in 1989 to distribute food to community partners throughout Anne Arundel County. To this day, AACFB continues its commitment to providing free food and other critical services to under-resourced residents, working alongside county and state governments to address food insecurity throughout the County. The AACFB network of member agencies includes over 70 community-based member food pantries. For more information: www.aafoodbank.org.