Thank you for your interest in becoming an agency of the Mid-Ohio Foodbank network. Please review the requirements and process for becoming and maintaining membership outlined below:

Minimum requirements for all partners:

• Organizations must be a recognized charity with a feeding program serving the needy, ill and infants.
• Organizations must be a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit, tax exempt organization, with a determination letter from IRS, an accredited church or be part of a nutrition, education or service program operated by the city, county or state.
• There must be a need for your program in the area you serve (to avoid duplication of effort).
• The food program must not discriminate on the basis of race, religion or creed and cannot require individuals to participate in ecumenical or educational services as a requirement for receiving food.
• The organization must have appropriate physical capacity to receive and distribute food (all sites will be reviewed by Foodbank staff).
• The organization must have adequate staff and/or volunteers to support their feeding program and identify a key staff member/volunteer to serve as primary contact for the program.
• The organization must have a defined method/systems for how food will be distributed.

If you are an organization applying to a become a food pantry, soup kitchen or shelter program eligible to receive federal and state food items, you must meet the additional requirements listed below:

Food program must operate for at least 3 months prior to applying for partnership.

• Food pantries must keep written record of grocery distributions that include customer’s name, address, date of service and number of people in household.
• Food pantries and soup kitchens must have regular hours of operation, established procedures, rules and regulations under which the program operates.
• Food program must distribute food/meals at least once a month.

Ready to Apply?
Once you determine your organization meets the above requirements, click here to submit an online application.

Application Review & Follow-up Process:
All applications are reviewed within 15 business days from date of submission. Once an application is reviewed, Foodbank staff will contact the organization to arrange a site visit.

• After an initial site visit, organization will be notified within 30 days if they are eligible to become a Foodbank partner.
• After an organization is determined “eligible for” partnership, they must complete:
  • Food Safety training/certification
  • Civil Rights training
  • PantryTrak training
  • New Partner orientation
• Once an organization completes required trainings and orientation, they will be given a partnership agreement. Partnership agreement must be completed and returned within 30 days.
• Once the partnership agreement is signed and returned, organizations are officially recognized as partner agencies and are eligible to access food from Mid-Ohio Foodbank.