What is a food bank and how does it relate to my local food pantry?
This is a question staff at the Food Bank of the Albemarle field often and it's understandable - the terms "food bank" and "food pantry" seem interchangeable. A food bank is a nonprofit clearinghouse that receives donated food and grocery products and channels them through hunger relief partners such as food pantries, shelters soup kitchens, adult day cares or any type of facility that serves lower-income populations within a specific geographic region.
Simply put, it is a warehouse and distribution center. Food banks are able to accommodate larger quantities of food and can then acquire food at bulk or wholesale prices. The food bank then supplies the food it has acquired to hunger relief partners which, in turn, provide people who are in need with food and supplies. Both are vital parts of the hunger-relief system.
What is the Food Bank of the Albemarle?
As the area's only food bank, we provide food to a network of more than 130 agency partners such as food pantries, shelters, senior centers, low-income day cares, domestic violence centers and more throughout a fifteen county region of northeast North Carolina. FBA is a member of the Feeding America network of food banks and is 1 of 7 food banks serving North Carolina. In addition to the food bank’s distribution of approximately 6 million pounds of food and grocery product annually, it offers several direct service programs such as the Albemarle Food Pantry, After School Snack Program, Back Pack Program, Summer Meal Programs and Mobile Food Pantries.
How do local hunger relief agencies relate to a food bank?
Small, local hunger relief agencies are often members of a regional food bank like FBA. They are a part of a hunger relief network working at a micro-level towards a solution to hunger.
- Food pantries provide unprepared food directly to those in need who may have a place to live, but not enough to eat. Food pantries are an important source of emergency food for the working poor. FBA's pantry partners report 77% of the food they distribute is from FBA.
- A Mobile Food Pantry program model operates like a standard food pantry, but on wheels. A truck from FBA arrives at and serves geographic regions where there is limited or no access to a fixed food pantry. The people in these designated areas are often in most desperate need of assistance.
- Emergency meal sites like soup kitchens prepare food provided by FBA into hot, nutritious meals for those in need. For many people, the soup kitchen provides their only hot meal of the day.
The food bank solicits public support, grants and conduct special events within our 15 county region to cover vital program costs necessary to meeting the mission. In addition, donors will elect to support the food bank directly because they want to support regional activities, not one program or project because it mirrors their business footprint. Our food donors want assurances that their donations are going to be handled in a safe and secure manner. Feeding America food banks and their network of hunger relief partners are able to demonstrate that the food they distribute is safely meeting that expectation in order to feed the hungry.
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