The Excellence and Innovation in Food Banking awards program aim to:
The GFN Food Banking Innovation Award recognizes a food banking organization that exhibits exceptional innovation and creativity to increase the food bank’s ability to meet hunger needs and reduce food waste in its community. These programs enhance and improve the food bank’s service to its community through an innovative, replicable, and effective approach.
Finalists: Food Banking Kenya, Fundacion Banco de Alimentos Tandil, No Food Waste India, Rise Against Hunger Philippines, Scholars of Sustenance Foundation – Thailand
Winner: Food Banking Kenya – Solar Dehydrator program
Food Banking Kenya’s solar dehydrator program utilizes an innovative approach to address hunger and food loss by harnessing renewable solar energy.
Unlike traditional drying methods that rely on fossil fuels or electricity, the solar dehydrator collects solar energy to warm air and efficiently dehydrate food.
In rural areas, farmers often must sell produce immediately after harvest at low prices due to a lack of drying facilities. The solar dehydrator mitigates this issue by allowing farmers and Food Banking Kenya to dry their produce, thus preventing monetary losses.
This award recognizes a GFN member that is working collaboratively across its community to create strong partnerships with local organizations that bring food banking and community services together to build healthier, more resilient communities. These specialized programs go beyond food distribution to provide social service programs and increase equity and opportunities across the community such as school feeding programs, senior citizen services, cooking or nutrition classes, or workforce development services.
Finalists: Banco de Alimentos Peru, FoodForward South Africa, FoodCycle Indonesia, Food For For All Africa, Sesc Mesa Brasil
Winner: FoodCycle Indonesia – Food Rescue Warrior application
FoodCycle Indonesia’s Food Rescue Warrior project reduces food waste and hunger by partnering with more than 20 service organizations to collect and redistribute surplus food.
As part of the project, their FoodCycle Farms initiative uses Black Soldier Fly technology to recycle organic waste into larvae and compost, which supports urban farming and promotes sustainability. Since early 2024, FoodCycle Indonesia has recovered more than 50 tons of food, recycled more than 30 tons of waste, and served more than 300,000 meals to 25,000 people.
This award recognizes a partnership between a GFN food bank and a corporation or foundation. The partnership may include mobilizing volunteers in support of food banking; championing creativity and innovation in food banking; and/or leveraging influence and expertise to generate community awareness and engagement on food insecurity, climate initiatives, food loss & waste efforts.
Finalists: Foodbank South Australia, BAMX Nuevo Leon de Caritas de Monterrey, Red Argentina
Winner: BAMX Nuevo Leon de Caritas de Monterrey – Zero Hunger Strategy
BAMX Nuevo Leon de Caritas de Monterrey’s Zero Hunger Strategy is a collaborative, citizen-led initiative that promotes the right to food and creates a culture of food loss and waste reduction.
The strategy also develops the capacity for food self-sufficiency in the population served, in partnership with the public, private, and social sectors, academia, and citizen participation.
Thank you to our volunteer Selection Committee members:
The following criteria must be met for a submission to be considered:
Submissions will be evaluated anonymously by a committee of staff and Board volunteers of The Global FoodBanking Network. From each category, three to five finalists, including one final award recipient, will be selected.
All applications will be scored against the following:
NOTE: All finalists will be chosen by a selection committee made up of GFN staff, board members, volunteers and community partners. For the Community Impact and Outstanding Partnership awards, each committee will select three finalists and one award recipient. For the Innovation award, the committee will select five finalists and award recipient will be selected through a voting process open to all attendees at the GFN Global Summit in September.
