BACKGROUND: The Marshall County Hope Center of  Food Bank began as a labor of love through Real Church in Guntersville. However, the considerable insecurity overwhelmed our community outreach program. In March 2022, the Hope Center became a separate Tax Exempt 501c (3) Food Pantry (EIN 61-2012473).  The Hope Center now feeds an average of 350 families per month and is the largest pantry in Marshall County. In 2021, The Hope Center partnered with the North Alabama Food Bank and Feeding America. In 2024, we became a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) qualified Food Pantry. The Hope Center had existed off small private donations and their all-volunteer workforce. However, the overwhelming food insecurity in Marshall County has placed demands requiring significant capital equipment investment and additional resources.  

THE NEED: The Marshall County population is projected to be 101,000 by the end of 2024. Our Food Pantry, located at 1910 Gunter Avenue, is centrally located in the county within 10 miles of most population centers, including Albertville 22,632, Boaz 10,107 (includes Etowah County), Guntersville 9,179, Arab 8,956, and Grant 1,062. See Map Below. From current Government poverty estimates, we estimate over 16,000 of our fellow citizens or 3-5,000 families. Our food pantry is reaching around 10% of those needs. Our discounted food products through USDA allow us to feed a family of 4 for around $6 or $2100 a month. Once our overhead transportation, rent, and utilities are added our costs are around $5,000 per month.

GOAL: Our Goal is to fill the current needs of Marshall County and assist organizations with similar outreaches to the community. The percentage of people living in poverty in Marshall County is 16.5%. However, given the challenges of inflation, we believe this traditional metric to be low. As the largest food pantry in Marshall County, according to North Alabama Food Bank and Feeding America. We feel it is incumbent on us to expand quickly to meet the need. This will require a fundraising goal of $100,000 over our current budget.