GUEST POST BY AMY HAYNES, FACILITATOR, COACH, SOCIAL WORKER – In the face of rising demand, fluctuating resources and systemic change, food bank leaders are leaning into innovation and reimagining what’s possible. Those are the conclusions of a series of interviews conducted with eight seasoned food bank leaders, each bringing…
Food Bank News
Coming out of Covid, many food banks phased out their drive-through distributions. Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana is taking the opposite approach by leaning into its drive-through. There are good reasons to move away from drive-through distributions, as they generally don’t let clients choose their own food, nor access wrap-around…
The timing could not have been better to demonstrate that major Food is Medicine interventions can improve patient health, while lowering costs. Three research studies released in as many months all point to a variety of positive outcomes related to Food is Medicine initiatives. The studies out of North Carolina,…
WASHINGTON D.C. – If you’re thinking about ways to get into Food is Medicine, you might consider reaching out to your state’s primary care association as a first step. Every state and territory in the country has an association of primary care providers, according to Patricia Quinn, Vice President of…
With proposed cuts to SNAP of $230 billion over the next ten years looming, the Food Research and Action Center yesterday lined up speakers who put forth several powerful arguments against the measure, highlighting its potential impact on children and the economy. The proposed cuts, which would be the largest…
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts has a few things going for it when it comes to Food is Medicine. First, it has long championed building relationships with area hospitals, giving it valuable exposure to the healthcare world. Second, it operates in a state that is actively pursuing solutions and…
One of the most difficult aspects of advocacy for nonprofits is figuring out where to focus the most energy and attention. Boston-based Project Bread, which promotes food security and food access throughout Massachusetts, recently met this challenge head on. To determine its eight-point legislative agenda for the state’s upcoming 2025-2026…
March was not a good month for food banks. Early in March, food banks found out that $500 million for LFPA, a popular federal program that gives them money to buy food from local farms and ranchers, would go away. Toward the end of the month, they learned that another…
Central California Food Bank is taking a “quality over quantity” approach to its First Fruits Market, a free grocery store it opened in September 2023 in downtown Fresno. Located on a campus with other nonprofit and service-based organizations, the market serves about 250 families on each of the three days…