The food pantry operated by the Salvation Army in Fort Dodge has been honored for its efforts.

The food pantry has been inducted into the Food Bank of Iowa Hall of Fame for distributing more than one million pounds of groceries through its partnership with Food Bank of Iowa. The local pantry is part of the first group of organizations inducted into the new hall of fame.

The Salvation Army of Fort Dodge has distributed 1,597,208 pounds of food. That is the fourth highest total in the Food Bank of Iowa network.

”The strength of any food bank lies in its network of partners, and our impact is multiplied through them,” Michelle Book, the president and chief executive officer of the Food Bank of Iowa, said in a written statement.

”Organizations like our hall of famers that distribute millions of pounds of food are true hunger heroes who lift up the communities they serve,” she added.

To qualify for the Food Bank of Iowa Hall of Fame, an organization must be a Food bank of Iowa partner agency, and must have distributed more than one million pounds of food provided through their partnership with the Food Bank.

Data going back to 2004 was used to determine which organizations qualified.

The Food Bank of Iowa Hall of Fame was created to recognize partner agencies for creating positive impacts within their community. Through a network of about 500 partner agencies,

Since 1982, Food Bank of Iowa has distributed more than 163 million meals.

About 375,000 Iowans struggle with food insecurity, according to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study. In Webtser County, more than 5,0000 people are deemed to be food insecure.