Fifteen food banks across the country are helping people navigate the ongoing trade-off between food and medicine, while also benefiting from a new donation stream, thanks to a discount-prescription program from BuzzRx. BuzzRx, formerly known as Watertree Health, seeks out food banks and other partners to help it distribute discount…
Food Bank News
The announcement last week that the USDA would continue to support food banks by purchasing massive amounts of produce, meat and dairy from the nation’s farmers was welcome relief to food bank CEOs, though they still expect a difficult 2021. The $1.5 billion extension of the Farmers to Families Food…
Most people who work at a food pantry can relate to this scenario: a shortage of something essential like peanut butter leads to a trip to the grocery store, just in time for the next distribution. Last-minute scrambles like these may be common, but they’re also “a terrible use of…
The last time a U.S. president convened a serious examination of food insecurity was in 1978 under President Jimmy Carter. If Paule Pachter, the CEO of Long Island Cares, has any say, the next one will happen under the watch of President-Elect Joe Biden. Pachter sent a proposal letter to…
On March 17 — only one day after the governor ordered all bars and restaurants temporarily closed in Minnesota due to the pandemic — Second Harvest Heartland launched Minnesota Central Kitchen, its ambitious effort to keep local restaurants in business by tapping their kitchens, food and employees to feed the…
Between a new administration and growing momentum around a Covid-related aid package, anti-hunger advocates have reason to be optimistic about federal steps toward hunger relief in the near future. Yet there are still plenty of concerns. “If we’re successful in getting an aid package and an increase in SNAP, I…
Some of the nation’s largest food banks are setting new standards for the food pantries of the future. Food banks among the top 20 on Food Bank News’ list of the largest 100 have recently designed and introduced food distribution outlets that differ sharply from traditional pantries. Like other emerging…
The most crucial ingredient in Our Neighbors Table’s plan to bring food security to its region by 2029 is not food — it’s community involvement via an advisory group of local organizations. Its Food Security Advisory Group, which includes local town officials, health care providers, schools and councils on aging,…
As the biggest news story of 2020, Covid-19 played a role in the conversation at Food Bank News’ CEO roundtable discussion, held online in early November. But more prominent were perennial questions about ways in which the problem of hunger should be framed and solved. There were unexpectedly positive outcomes…