Food Insecurity: A    condition in which people lack basic food intake to provide them with the energy and nutrients for fully  productive lives.

80,000 men, women and children in the greater Birmingham area are food insecure.

Magic City Harvest is a non-profit prepared and perishable food recovery program that distributes FREE donated excess food to  organizations serving those in need, thereby   helping to alleviate hunger and malnutrition in the Greater Birmingham area.
 
 
The MISSION of Magic City Harvest is to alleviate hunger, malnutrition and food waste in our community.
 
 
This is done through:
1) Free distribution of donated foods
2) Nutrition and safe food handling education
3) Community Education on understanding the effects of poverty manifest through food insecurity

Total cost of food distribution is 30 cents a pound (each lb equals one meal).
 
 

Magic City Harvest is the only program operating in the three county area of Jefferson, Shelby and Talladega whose sole program focus is food recovery, food waste and nutrition. Magic City Harvest continues to experience significant annual increases in food requests from current recipient agencies as well as new feeding program assistance requests.

1 // Concerned and community conscious food service operators (cafeterias, restaurants, caterers, grocery stores, hospitals) donate excess food that they cannot sell.  They receive positive publicity and a deduction for their donation.

2 // Magic City Harvest transports and distributes this food safely and quickly with careful handling, special equipment, and trained staff and volunteers. Magic City Harvest adheres to strict FDA guidelines.

3 // All food goes to local nonprofit organizations: soup kitchens, shelters, halfway houses, and food pantries.  These organizations provide free meals to those in need. This money can then be redirected to other much needed programs and services.
 

• MCH currently distributes 800,000 pounds of food a year.  Our goal is to increase our food distribution by 25%  to One Million pounds a year.

• MCH currently operates with two refrigerated trucks. 

• Fifteen recipients currently receive food from MCH.  Our goal is to be able to expand and provide food for recipients on our waiting list and more.
   

• Donations to non-profit organizations may be tax deductible.

• Helps to decrease waste collection and disposal fees.

• Can result in fewer and smaller waste containers and landfill transfers.

• Can boost public image, attracting additional customers concerned with the green practice of food donation.
    

• 12.2% or 224,000 Alabama households are food insecure.

• 22% of children are food insecure.
   

• Magic City Harvest is the only sole food recovery organization in Alabama.

• Magic City Harvest relies solely on contributions and grants.

• Magic City Harvest costs to distribute food is a mere 20 cents per pound.
   

Paulette Van Matre /// Executive Director mchfood@bellsouth.net

Audra Cornelius - Part Time Program Assistant mcharvest@bellsouth.net

Willie Paulk - Food Distribution / Driver
 
 
Magic City Harvest is a member of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce, Alabama Arise, MBSH and the Non-Profit Resource Center.  Magic City Harvest’s Executive Director is a 2006 Leadership Birmingham graduate.