The Capital Area Food Bank is one of only six food banks in the Feeding America network to serve three states, giving it a front-row seat into the multitude of ways the federal TEFAP program is administered across state lines. The 40-year-old program, which distributes commodities grown on U.S. farms…
Food Bank News
It’s widely acknowledged in the hunger relief community that the people who grow the nation’s food also tend to be among the most food-insecure. The estimated 2.4 million people in the U.S. who work on farms, many of them southern border immigrants, earned an average of $20,000 to $25,000 in…
There’s no doubt that the new ability in some states to tap Medicaid money as reimbursement for nutrition services is attracting attention from the hunger-relief community. But there’s another legislative mandate that is having a more immediate impact on food-bank partnerships with healthcare organizations. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid…
When it comes to nutritional quality, a recent study has given the green light to the majority of foods in three USDA food programs at the heart of the charitable food system. The study assessed food items offered by the TEFAP commodity food program for food banks, the FDPIR program…
The Kelly Center for Hunger Relief in El Paso, Tex., had a pretty good feeling a few years ago about the positive impact of its FreshStart program, which is designed to move food pantry clients toward self-sufficiency. Those feelings were confirmed with the results of a recently released formal evaluation…
Besides sourcing food, giving it out is arguably the most important thing a food bank does. But there does not seem to be general agreement on how best to do it. Mass drive-through distributions, ushered in by Covid, continue at some food banks, but have been phased out at others.…
GUEST OPINION BY TEVA SIENICKI, CEO-VISIONARY AT METRO CARING, DENVER, CO – Grant applications often ask us: “What’s your sustainability plan?” It’s a realistic question; but the way it’s asked is far too narrow in scope. Funders want to know how the work will continue after the funding runs out.…
Food banks have plenty of experience accepting donated food that arrives in a jumble, or is close to expiring, or is not so healthy. Now it’s becoming easier to get highly desirable food that is convenient, nutritious, and even arrives at the warehouse in an organized manner. Technology firms specializing…
School backpack programs have been a mainstay of food banking ever since the first one debuted nearly 30 years ago at the Arkansas Rice Depot (now Arkansas Foodbank). The Feeding America network currently supports backpack programs at more than 10,000 schools and institutions, serving more than 54 million meals in…