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…
Food Bank News
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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. Before long, the produce prescription program was supported through a multi-million dollar contract…
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…
In 2020, when Healthy Eating Research introduced nutrition guidelines designed to be easy for food banks to adopt and use, it hoped that Feeding America members would move toward the new framework over the next five years. That wish appears to be coming true. So far, 101 food banks across…