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Food Bank of North Alabama describes surge in demand, asks council to keep support flowing
Summary
Shirley Scofield, CEO of the Food Bank of North Alabama, told council the food bank distributed 5.6 million pounds of food in Huntsville in FY25, served 955 families in a single emergency distribution and is expanding partner capacity and a home‑delivery pilot for homebound seniors.
Shirley Scofield, CEO of the Food Bank of North Alabama, spoke to the Huntsville City Council on March 12 about the organization’s role in emergency response and its ongoing service priorities.
Scofield described how the food bank responded during the recent government shutdown with large drive‑through distributions, telling the council it ran its largest distribution on Veterans Day and “served 955 families within 4 hours on that 1 day.” She said the food bank distributed 5,587,571 pounds of food in Huntsville during FY25 — an amount the organization estimates is equivalent to more than 4.6 million meals and would be valued at over $11 million.
Scofield outlined partner investments the food bank has made to expand capacity — from Wi‑Fi thermometers and shelving to refrigeration and vehicles — and pointed to a recent refrigerated truck grant to Rose of Sharon. She described a Neighborhood Nursing pilot with the University of Alabama in Huntsville that screens neighbors for food insecurity at community health events and noted summer‑meal work with more than 40 schools. She also said the food bank currently operates a walk‑in pantry at its Vernon Avenue location serving about 70 families per week and is piloting home deliveries to small numbers of homebound seniors.
Council members asked about increasing access to food‑pantry services in West Huntsville and the food bank said it can arrange services at its new facility and coordinate with school‑district partners where locations and inspections are available. Scofield asked the council to continue financial and logistical support as the food bank scales partner capacity to match its increased distribution capacity.
What it means: The presentation framed the Food Bank as a central player in both emergency response and ongoing food security programs in Huntsville, with specific program metrics and near‑term pilots that would require continued city and community support.
Next steps: Council members and staff discussed local promotion of pantry access and potential coordination with UAH’s Neighborhood Nursing program to reach homebound and west‑side residents.
