Programs and Services

Food Distribution
From our 15,000 square foot facility, outfitted with refrigerator and freezer space, we receive and distribute food and groceries donated by food industry companies such as manufacturers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, farmers and growers, as well as the proceeds of local food drives and food collections. We also distribute surplus commodities supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and with grants from the state and other government and non-government sources, we purchase nutrient dense food. Last, we use privately donated dollars to purchase food at prices below retail to fill in the gaps and to be able to offer products that are not normally donated or available free of charge.

Healthy Eating Initiatives
Helping our member agencies and their clients to access and consume nutritious food is an important part of the Food Bank’s work. Fully 90 percent of all the food we distribute meets Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010. Our nutrition programs include:
• Mobile Teaching Pantry—Nutrition education classes for clients of member agencies and other community agencies
• Nutrition Information—Monthly nutrition messages and recipes in English and Spanish.
• Guides for Good Health—nutrition and health themed posters, flyers and handouts distributed to member agencies of the Food Bank.
• Send Hunger Packing Extras—nutrition information and educational tools for food insecure children to teach them and their families about healthy eating and making healthy food choices.

Advocacy
The Food Bank advocates for legislation and public policies that offer long-term solutions to food insecurity. We speak out and encourage elected officials and policy makers to safeguard and strengthen government food and nutrition programs that provide the safety net for vulnerable families; we increase awareness of hunger in our community and we engage others to be part of the community response to hunger.

SNAP Outreach
Our SNAP Outreach Coordinator visits community sites to prescreen people for eligibility and assists those found to be eligible in applying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as food stamps).

Send Hunger Packing – A child hunger focus
On Friday afternoons during the school year, we provide children known to have little food at home with a backpack filled with kid-friendly, easy- to-open, nutritionally sound food to ensure that such children have meals to eat on weekends.