Transforming Tech to Feed the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma’s Growing OK Communities

RFBO Case Study Featured Image - 1200x628 (2) (1)

Industry

Nonprofit/Charity

Challenge

The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma faced growing operational demands that outpaced the capabilities of its legacy ERP system. They needed a modern solution to improve transparency, manage complex inventory and financial data, and support their expanding mission across 53 counties.

Results

Corbeau delivered a comprehensive ERP requirements analysis, including a detailed RFP and traceability matrix, empowering Regional Food Bank to confidently evaluate new systems. This strategic roadmap positioned the organization to streamline workflows, enhance decision-making, and scale its impact more efficiently.

Key Product

ERP System Requirements Analysis

www.regionalfoodbank.org

$80M

food donations annually

counties served in OK

62M

lbs of food donations in 2025

The deliverable was just top-notch and included everything we needed and more. It was a thing of beauty.

Stephanie Mendenhall

Chief Financial Officer (CFO) @ Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma

About Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma

For the past 45 years, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma (RFBO) has been a beacon of hope for families struggling with hunger. Founded in 1980 by Rodney Bivens, the organization has grown into a multi-million-dollar operation, handling approximately $80 million worth of donated products annually.

With a mission to recover and distribute food to those in need, the Regional Food Bank partners with various organizations, including food pantries, schools, and soup kitchens, to serve communities across 53 counties. As demand grows and operations scale, this nonprofit organization is on track to distribute 62 million pounds of food in fiscal year 2025, making efficiency more critical than ever.

Hear from the Regional Food Bank

The Technology Challenges

As the Regional Food Bank continued to grow, so did the need for modernization. The organization’s legacy Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software system had served its purpose well for years, but as time went on the organization wondered if a more robust solution might better support their mission-critical environment.

With unique requirements essential for maintaining accurate records and ensuring transparency in their operations, they felt it was time to explore new solutions to meet their growing needs.

The ERP Solution

The Regional Food Bank engaged Corbeau to conduct a comprehensive ERP system requirements analysis. The expert team facilitated an in-depth collaboration with over 30 Regional Food Bank employees across the organization to uncover absolute necessities, wants, functional pain points, and long-term goals. By working closely with the Regional Food Bank, the Corbeau team ensured they understood the unique inventory and accounting requirements necessary to find the right ERP solutions.

This inclusive approach surfaced critical needs and priorities, culminating in a detailed requirements matrix and a draft Request for Proposal (RFP). This RFP included all the necessary details and was praised for its thoroughness and quality. The Corbeau team also provided the Regional Food Bank with RFP templates to help streamline the process of compiling and sending their RFP to potential vendors. With alignment and clarity, the Regional Food Bank was equipped with a strategic blueprint to move forward confidently in selecting a new ERP.

The ERP Findings

Through careful analysis, the high-level Corbeau project management team identified modern ERP solution needs in a handy and easy-to-use requirements traceability matrix (RTM) that aligned with the Regional Food Bank’s functional and technical growth demands. With a clear case for change and a roadmap in hand, the Regional Food Bank is moving forward to evaluate systems that offer improved integration, streamlined workflows, and the flexibility needed to support and scale its evolving mission.

Clarity Delivered

Partnering with Corbeau gave the Regional Food Bank a clear, actionable roadmap for transformation. The collaboration produced detailed stakeholder functionality and requirements matrices and a well-structured RFP. These powerful tools will help the organization clearly identify and articulate its needs and confidently engage ERP vendors. These deliverables position the Regional Food Bank to evaluate solutions strategically and negotiate from a place of strength.

"The most significant benefit of a new ERP system is having a concise definition of what we do with our ERP and what needs to be accomplished with it," said Stephanie Mendenhall, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the Regional Food Bank.

Technology is the Backbone

Jerry Foster, Senior Director of Business Quality & Resources at the Regional Food Bank, emphasized that their organization needs real-time data and automation across departments to improve efficiencies, especially in budgeting and forecasting.

"Once implemented, the next ERP system will significantly improve our ability to manage inventory and financial data, providing us with real-time insights and reducing the manual effort required," Jerry added.

Regional Food Bank Project Success

The Regional Food Bank’s journey with Corbeau highlights the importance of how the right tools, technical skills, and team can unlock lasting transformation. What began as a challenge to modernize operations became a strategic opportunity to also empower staff and better serve local Oklahoma communities. By delivering a comprehensive roadmap and a clear, actionable plan, Corbeau helped the Regional Food Bank gain more control over its data, improve decision-making, and ultimately advance its mission more efficiently.

"The deliverable was just top-notch and included everything we needed and more,” said Stephanie. “It was a thing of beauty."