Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
You can donate to the Food Bank by simply teaching others about the work we do.

How does a Food Bank work?

• Food is donated by manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, USDA and others.
  
• A network of hundreds of member agencies such as churches, soup kitchens, shelters, children’s centers and others come to the Food Bank to select food and products they can use to help those in need.
  
• Member agencies distribute the food free of charge directly to the disadvantaged.

Why do we need Food Banks?

• The ability to collect, store, transport and distribute mass quantities of donated food safely and efficiently.
  
• The Food Banking process saves the community millions of dollars by providing food for other charities (member agencies).
  
• Churches, soup kitchens and others are unable to accept, store and distribute large quantities of food.
  
• Mass quantities of donated food would be lost without a systematic recovery process.

How does the Food Bank support itself?

• A nominal contribution called a Shared Maintenance Fee from 0 to 18 cents per pound is given to the Food Bank by member agencies.
  
• United Way(s) within the service area.
  
• USDA pays a reimbursement to distribute commodities.
  
• Donations from the community and corporations and special events.
  
• Grants from foundations and corporations.
  
• Some local governments.

What is a member agency?
Member agencies are other nonprofit organizations that directly feed the hungry free of charge. They can range from faith based food pantries, homeless shelters, after school programs, community kitchens and any other qualifying nonprofit organizations that provide food or meals to hungry people.

The Food Bank provides about 69% of the food they use in their feeding programs. In turn, the agencies contribute a nominal shared maintenance fee for the food (from 0 to 18 cents per pound.) The average shared maintenance fee is 7 cents per pound. This helps the Food Bank with the costs of transporting, storing, and distributing the food. This low fee saves each agency thousands of dollars and collectively it saves millions of dollars. The system of Food Banking saves the community more than $13 million dollars annually.