Potluck Inc.

If it hadn’t been for Potluck Inc. in North Little Rock, thousands of people would go to bed hungry and many more children would start their school days with empty stomachs.

Indeed, more than 78,000 people have been fed with food collected and distributed by Potluck since its inception in 1989. Potluck rescues excess unserved, nutritious and appealing prepared food from restaurants, hospitals and caterers and distributes it to more than 75 homeless shelters, battered women’s shelters, children’s programs and other organizations throughout central Arkansas.

“I think there’d be a real gap in hunger relief service if Potluck weren’t around,” said Executive Director Carol Herzog.

There’s virtually no limit on the type of food offered, but meats and vegetables are generally preferred – especially for the Fresh Start Program, which provides women and children with fresh fruit and vegetables.

Currently, there are 84 food donors who regularly contribute, Herzog said, and the list keeps growing. Potluck now provides for food pantries and other organizations in 32 counties.

In 2002 alone, Potluck recovered more than a million pounds of food, using an operating budget of just $125,000. Most of the nonprofit’s revenue comes from individual donations, grants and religious groups.

Potluck hands out state Health Department-approved aluminum containers to its donors to transport the food to Potluck freezers until it can be distributed. Potluck doesn’t charge for its services, Herzog said, but it only delivers foods to nonprofit organizations that do not discriminate and that feed children and adults on site.

Herzog and Potluck’s volunteers hope more communities will follow their lead and begin similar programs to take a bite out of hunger.