History
Way back in 1982, a few caring Arkansans noticed there were a lot of children, families and senior citizens going to bed hungry right here in Arkansas. Many food pantries were struggling for supplies. The cupboard was bare at the shelters. Children were hungry. So these folks organized and looked for food. And they found rice. Home-grown, nourishing and inexpensive rice. They paid for it out of their own pockets and gave it to anyone in need. Soon word spread about this organization that provided free rice to any group willing to fight hunger in their community. And the Arkansas Rice Depot was born. By 1986, then-Governor Bill Clinton helped the Arkansas Rice Depot distribute its one millionth pound of rice. For a while, rice remained the only food distributed, and though nourishing, it wasn't a complete meal. A Billy Graham Crusade changed all that. Six tons of food items were collected that year. Soon all kinds of food and supplies were distributed statewide. Our mission grows yearly
Specialties
Arkansas Rice Depot's mission is simple: end hunger in the lives of Arkansans. We fulfill this mission through 4 programs: *Food For Kids: sends backpacks home with over 25,000 Arkansas school children. The backpacks are filled with kid-friendly food for children who may not get food after the school day is over. *Food For Families: Provides no-cost food to over 300 food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. Served 349,000 people in 2009. *Food For Seniors: provides 50 pound boxes of food and supplies to homebound, impoverished senior citizens. *Disaster Relief, which provides necessities to victims of tornadoes, ice storms, fires or other disasters in our state.