(image: The Global FoodBanking Network)
CHICAGO,IL, Nov. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN) formally launched the Asia Food Bank Incubator program last month, aimed at accelerating the development and scaling of food banking in the Asia-Pacific region.
Thanks to the generous support of Bank of America Merrill Lynch – APAC, Griffith Foods and The PIMCO Foundation, the three-year Food Bank Incubator program will expand technical support and other services GFN offers across the region by collaborating with eight organizations in seven countries working toward eliminating hunger and food waste in their communities.
The eight Asia Food Bank Incubator participants include:
- Guangzhou City Food Bank – China
- Heifei City Food Bank – China
- Food Cycle – Indonesia
- Kechara Soup Kitchen Society – Malaysia
- Foodbank Canterbury – New Zealand
- Good Food Grocer/Rise Against Hunger – Philippines
- Scholars of Sustenance – Thailand
- Foodbank Vietnam – Vietnam
“We are so excited to finally expand The Global FoodBanking Network’s impact and reach in the Asia-Pacific region and work alongside this incredible cohort of change-making organizations” said Lisa Moon, GFN President and CEO. “The objective of this program is to reduce the time it takes to start-up a food bank and ultimately work with these organizations to reach more people facing hunger in their communities.”
The program was launched at the first GFN Asia-Pacific Food Bank Conference in Seoul, South Korea, October 21-25 at the Koreana Hotel, hosted in conjunction with the Korea National Council on Social Welfare, Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Korea Foodbank. The launch event convened Incubator participants, current network food banks, corporate partners and industry leaders to discuss the fundamentals of food banking over the course of the three days.
“We are so thankful at Foodbank Vietnam that The Global FoodBanking Network created this opportunity for us to join the Asia Food Bank Incubator program,” said Nguyen Tuan Khoi, Founder & CEO, Foodbank Vietnam. “During the week we not only learned valuable skills that we will take back and implement at the food bank, but we also connected and built relationships with other food banks in Asia and will continue to collaborate. We are so excited to see where this program takes us.”
Currently, more than 60 percent of the world’s undernourished live in the Asia-Pacific region. GFN identified Asia-Pacific as a high-priority region while developing the Incubator program due to these high levels of poverty and malnutrition.
Over the course of the next three years, GFN will work closely with Incubator participants by providing technical assistance and access to GFN’s suite of training resources, as well as developing key milestones and programs. During the Incubator program, participants will ultimately be moved toward GFN certification.
“What a privilege and honor to have been accepted as part of this inspiring and knowledge-filled experience. From the well-founded counsel and advice from The Global FoodBanking Network, the experiences of our colleague organizations in the region, to the networking and camaraderie, the summit was for us an occasion we are so very thankful to have attended,” said John Milligan, CEO, Foodbank Canterbury.
Following the Incubator launch, GFN hosted the first Asia-Pacific Regional Summit with support from the Archer Daniels Midland Company, bringing together 8 delegates from existing GFN member food bank organizations; Foodbank Australia, Green Food Bank China, Feeding Hong Kong, Korea Food Bank, The Food Bank Singapore and Taiwan People’s Food Bank Association. The Asia-Pacific Regional Food Bank Summit focused on issues related to surplus food procurement and food donation policies across the region.
About The Global FoodBanking Network:
The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN) is an international non-profit organization that nourishes the world’s hungry through uniting and advancing food banks in more than 30 countries. GFN focuses on combating hunger and preventing food waste by providing expertise, directing resources, sharing knowledge and developing connections that increase efficiency, ensure food safety and reach more people facing hunger. Last year, 943 GFN member food banks rescued over 500 million kilograms of food and grocery product and redirected it to feed 9.6 million people through a network of more than 55,000 social service and community-based organizations. For more information please visit www.foodbanking.org.
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Katie Lutz
The Global FoodBanking Network
+1-312-620-9666
kelutz@foodbanking.org
Source: The Global FoodBanking Network via GLOBE NEWSWIRE
