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How Some Food Banks Source Way More Donated Food
There’s no doubt most food banks are spending more money to purchase food these days, though there are a handful outliers that spend virtually nothing on food. During Covid, almost all food banks began purchasing more food when donated goods were tough to come by, and government funding and donated cash were in plentiful supply. Since Covid, purchasing budgets have remained elevated, as food banks seek to meet continued high need in the face of less government support.
Amazon-Style Food Lockers to Fill in Access Gaps
Most food banks are aware that the pantries in their networks are not always available in the most convenient places at the most convenient times for clients. One way the Mid-Ohio Food Collective is addressing this issue is by opening a set of Amazon-style food lockers at one of its distribution outlets. The secured, refrigerated lockers let clients order food online and then pick it up at any time of the day or night.
Food Bank CEO Puts His Creativity Into Food Justice Books for Kids
Many food bank CEOs bring elements of their prior careers to their current jobs (as Food Bank News wrote about here). The background of Erik Talkin – a food bank CEO who is a former screenwriter and all-around creative person with a Master of Fine Arts – has led to the release of two food-justice books for children, adding to his first, which came out in 2020.
Top 300 Food Banks By Revenue, 2023
Our Tableau-driven dashboard of the largest 300 food banks in America is interactive and searchable, while offering many different perspectives of the data. Please note:. Feeding America affiliates are depicted in green. Revenue numbers come from food banks’ most recently filed Form 990s or audited financial statements and predominantly reflect...
Which Food Banks are the Biggest in America in 2023?
Welcome to Food Bank News’ 2023 list of America’s largest 300 food banks by revenue. The headline news of our Top 300 Food Banks ranking is that revenue for food banks is down overall, in line with the diminishing impact of Covid on the economy. In fiscal year 2022, the top 300 food banks registered revenue of nearly $16 billion, down from almost $19 billion a year earlier. That $19 billion was a record, reflecting revenue during the throes of Covid, when giving in the form of personal donations, government grants, and donated food were all up.
Partner Insight: Food Banks Relying on Proven Solution to Increase Fresh, Healthy Food Access
Fresh, healthy, and accessible food is an issue across North America. And when it comes to food banks, they need better tools to serve their community where they live, work, and play. That’s why food banks are launching mobile produce market programs with help of The Farmers’ Truck. Their mobile...
Why Some Food Banks Like Soil-Free Farming
Greater control is one reason that a handful of food banks are embracing soil-free systems as a way to grow produce for their clients. Greenhouse farming through hydroponics (where the roots grow in water) and aeroponics (where the roots are irrigated with a mist of nutrients) offers a measure of control over pests, the weather, and perhaps most importantly, the level of nutrition food banks can offer their clients year round.
The Future of Home Delivery
Earlier this year, Food Bank News wrote about home delivery being at a crossroads. Food banks were trying to figure out if they could keep home deliveries going, even though pandemic-era aid to support the deliveries was becoming less available. A new report from Urban Institute now offers some clarity...
A Human Rights View of Food Banking
In a zoom meeting last week, three human rights groups offered their perspective on the charitable food banking system and its impact on the world’s food-insecure population. Citing a data point that is likely familiar to anyone working in hunger relief, the groups noted that food insecurity continues to...
How One Food Pantry Wiped Out All Language Barriers
For many food pantries, language barriers are a common obstacle to serving a diverse client base. One food pantry in the Chicago area is taking advantage of two distinct technologies to help non-English speakers navigate the pantry, whether they are accessing it online or in person. The West Suburban Community...
42 Food Banks Excel in Website Advocacy
There are many ways for food banks to be active in advocacy. Chief among them are regularly communicating with members of Congress and state governments about anti-hunger legislation, as well as engaging the media and partner organizations on policy issues. The Food Bank News Advocacy Honor Roll looks strictly at...
WhyHunger’s New Leader to Carry Out Its Uncommon Approach
New York City-based WhyHunger has always had an atypical way of addressing hunger, and now it has a new Executive Director to carry out that approach. Jenique Jones became the nonprofit’s leader over the summer, taking the place of Noreen Springstead who spent a 30-year career at WhyHunger before becoming President and CEO of Partnership for a Healthier America. Jones joins from City Harvest, New York’s first and largest food rescue organization, where she served most recently as Vice President of Program Operations and Policy.
VA Food Bank Plunges into Aquaponics
Driving to a ballgame five years ago, Mark Kleinschmidt, CEO of Healthy Harvest Food Bank, turned to his then 12-year-old son and asked, “What can I do in my job that’ll get you to do what I do without making you do what I do?” Kleinschmidt’s son pondered for a bit before responding that it would need to be something that involved hands-on learning, “knowing that we did it, we were part of it, we made it.”
Capital Area Food Bank’s 4-Point Plan for Food Security
In a recent report about food insecurity in its region, Capital Area Food Bank took the additional bold step of identifying four broad fixes to food insecurity, putting forth a viable blueprint for other food banks in the country. As in much of the nation, food insecurity in the capital...
New Payment Scheme Bolsters ‘Food as Medicine’ at N.C. Food Coalition
In a recent video, the head of a healthcare foundation articulated why partnerships between healthcare providers and hunger relief organizations can be so challenging, despite the growing mounds of evidence that a food-secure population leads to improved public health. John Lumpkin, M.D., M.P.H., president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield...
Food Bank is First in World to Get Zero-Waste Certification
A series of small changes has enabled Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County to whittle away waste in its operations, making it the first food bank in the world to be certified for its sustainability efforts. The food bank has received a TRUE certification for zero waste, signifying that...
Freestore’s Budgeting Program Supports Health, Stability
While many food banks help clients sign up for SNAP, fewer are equipped to also help them apply for other benefits like Medicaid, and fewer still take steps to ensure clients are putting their monthly benefits to proper use. Freestore Foodbank of Cincinnati is taking on that role by acting...
Partner Insight: The Dairy Community Assists Food Banks in Building a Successful Food System
Dairy foods like milk, cheese and yogurt are some of the most requested, yet least available foods in food bank networks. For example, on average, families relying on food bank networks only receive one gallon of milk per year. Food banks and their agencies play an important part in supporting a successful food system and increasing the availability of dairy can help them do so. Here’s how dairy is uniquely positioned to help food bank networks.
Program Puts Food as Medicine Front and Center
Like many nonprofits, Reinvestment Partners of Durham, N.C., relied on grant funding when it started Eat Well, a produce prescription program that began by getting money into the hands of veterans so they could purchase fresh produce. Five years later, the produce prescription program is now fully supported through a...
The Challenge of Healthcare, Hunger Relief Partnerships
A new survey from Food Research and Action Center points to the need for much greater communication between healthcare centers and hunger relief organizations when it comes to food insecurity screening and intervening. Only 25% of healthcare providers refer their food-insecure patients to a food bank or pantry for food...
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