Action Pathways Inc

What it reported doing in 2023

The second harvest food bank of southeast North Carolina serves a network of more than 200 partner agencies such as soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and programs for children and adults. The food bank serves the counties of bladen, cumberland, duplin, hoke, harnett, robeson and sampson. One in four children in southeast North Carolina faces hunger. Children who are hungry are more likely to become sick, have poor attendance at school, underperform academically, and have behavioral issues. The second harvest food bank partners with local schools and community partners to distribute food to children in need.the school pantry program allows adolescent students to "shop" for themselves and their families from a variety of food, hygiene items, and other necessities. This program provides nutritious foods in easy-to-prepare formats for students who may have limited cooking skills and allow students to provide for nutritional needs of their families. The food bank serves post-secondary students and their families attending community college, four-year universities, and continuing education courses through our college pantry program.the backpack program provides wholesome and nutritious food to elementary school students facing hunger. With the help of volunteers, the food bank provides food for backpacks each thursday for distribution at schools on friday. Each student receives enough food for the weekend to supplement meals otherwise not available. According to the most recent numbers released by feeding america, 16.1% of the of our service area is food insecure with almost 110,000 people not knowing where their next meal will come from. Nearly 18% of the food insecure population are seniors. Many seniors with insufficient savings and pensions live on fixed or limited incomes and have a food budget that is often overshadowed by rent or utility payments as well as the cost of much-needed medications. The food bank in partnership with our agency network- provides senior feeding through our harvest of hope program. Harvest of hope is offered to low-income seniors residing within our seven-county service area who are 55 or older. The program is designed to meet the nutritional needs of seniors by offering low-sodium, low-sugar, and low-fat options. Over one thousand harvest of hope boxes are packed here at the warehouse with the help of volunteers every month. These boxes are distributed to seniors with help from our partner agencies.the North Carolina general assembly provides funding through state appropriated monetary process. The funding allows the food bank to purchase products such as canned vegetables, fruits, soups, and other nutritional items which normally don't come through donations.the food bank administers the emergency food assistance program (tefap) through the North Carolina department of agriculture (ncda). The federal program helps supplement the diets of people living with a low income by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost. Currently, the food bank partners with 52 nonprofit organizations delivering the service in 5 southeastern counties of bladen, cumberland, hoke, robeson, and sampson.mobile food pantries bring nutritious food directly into our communities. Through the host of our network agencies and volunteers, we are able to service hundreds of families during each event. The typical mobile food pantry provides- dry goods, fresh produce, and fresh meat/dairy (when available).the second harvest food bank of southeast North Carolina acts as a first responder in times of disaster. When a tornado or flood strikes, we draw upon our food supplies to deliver emergency food and water to residents directly impacted.in times of disaster, the food bank deploys its fleet of refrigerated trucks to deliver food to those that need it most. Thank you to our generous donors, for donating trucks that help us accomplish this important part of our mission.the food bank partners with local and state agen

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 83.7%; rating input score 84
• Program expense ratio: 91%; rating input score 91
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 14th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 84.6%; rating input score 85; 18th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 7.3%; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.37; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.16; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 1.7%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 2.1% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 3.5% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 10.5% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings