Second Harvest ranks high in financial and food-safety reviews

As one of the largest food banks in the Gulf South, Second Harvest helps support the mission of more than 450 local food-related organizations across 23 parishes. This requires the work of dozens of employees and thousands of volunteers at our warehouses in Harahan and Lafayette, facilities totaling nearly 200,000 square feet.

Our communities and donors expect the highest level of vigilance from us when it comes to food safety, efficiency of operations, and stewardship of the dollars donated to us. We’re happy to report recent top-to-bottom professional audits and reviews of our organization show the quality of our operations and mission.

Feeding America Audit: In this bi-annual audit, Second Harvest scored a rating of 100% compliance in all 25 areas reviewed by Feeding America. These areas include the storage, preparation, and distribution of food; financial health of our organization; day-to-day planning and safety of our operation; and overall efficiency of how we use donated funds.

AIB International Food Safety Audit – This intense food safety evaluation takes a hard look at the day-to-day handling of the food that passes through our warehouse and operation. Distributing nearly 23 million pounds of food is no small task, and our warehouse crew passed this audit with flying colors.

Charity Navigator Rating – Second Harvest earns a score of 98.5 out of 100 on this review which ranks charities and nonprofit organizations based upon financial accountability and transparency. The Charity Navigator review found that 95.1% of our total expenses go directly toward the programs and services we deliver. The four-star rating earned by Second Harvest is among the highest in the country.

We’re proud that year-to-year, our administrative and fundraising expenses are less than 5%. Our organization stands behind our promise to carefully shepherd donated funds, and we post the last three years’ worth of financial records and executive salaries on our website.

These accolades are a wonderful testament to the dedication of our staff and volunteers. Still, we continue to strive to improve efficiency, safety, and the overall ways we provide food and services to South Louisiana. It is extremely important that we make the best possible use of every dollar and pound of food that is entrusted to the mission of Second Harvest Food Bank.