The food bank CEOs of America have a lot to be proud of when they think back on the enormous amount of aid they’ve provided to vulnerable populations devastated by Covid-19. The Feeding America network alone (which does not include dozens of independent food banks) distributed more than six billion…
Food Bank News
Like a farmer’s market on wheels, mobile food markets have emerged in recent years as handy solutions for organizations seeking to bring fresh produce to vulnerable populations. Yet the pantries are not without their Achilles’ heels, as organizations have sometimes struggled to find the appropriate mix of product, pricing, location…
Fifty-two years ago this week, the Nixon Administration convened a national conference on ending hunger that resulted in landmark legislation, including the creation of WIC. The conference was considered a breakthrough success in addressing the food and nutrition issues of the time. This week, Massachusetts Representative Jim McGovern is revving…
Earlier this month, Sandy Swett wasn’t sure how the Harrison Food Bank could supply Thanksgiving to families in need this year. Swett is the Maine-based organization’s Founder and Operations Manager. On October 21, she learned that the Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Food Assistance Program did not—and could not—deliver her organization’s…
The kitchens across the country are often busy with volunteers making meals for a variety of occasions. In most cases, there are no problems with the preparation and serving of the food. However, sometimes safety and cooking procedures are overlooked, and the results can be deadly. In fact, the CDC estimates that…
When Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina three years ago, the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina realized it wasn’t as prepared to serve the Latino community as it should have been. “We rushed to say, ‘Here’s everything that we have,’ but that relationship wasn’t quite there,” said Jessica…
SNAP is already known to be effective at achieving its goals of reducing food insecurity and poverty. Now, new research suggests that the program is also bringing down healthcare costs — reducing Medicaid fees by as much as $2,360 per person. The new study, published in the Annals of Internal…
Food banks often do more than basic food distribution by offering programs that help people gain a foothold out of poverty. Workforce training, financial literacy classes and access to benefits all fall within this category. Now, San Antonio Food Bank is expanding even further the definition of what a food…
Not many food banks actively promote nutrition incentive programs that make fresh produce more accessible to low-income families. But the ones that do are seeing results that go well beyond increased produce consumption in their communities. These “Double Up Food Bucks” programs, which originated at farmers markets over 15 years…