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

How does a Food Bank work?

• Food is donated by individuals, manufacturers, retailers, USDA and others.
  
• A network of hundreds of partner agencies such as food pantries, 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?

• A Food Bank's ability to collect, store, transport and distribute mass quantities of donated food safely and efficiently is unique to the region in which it serves.
  
• The Food Banking process saves the community millions of dollars by providing food for other non-profit feeding programs (partner agencies).
  
• Food pantries, soup kitchens and others are unable to solicit, 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?

• Partner Agencies contribute a nominal Shared Maintenance Contribution of 0 to 19 cents per pound to help off set some storage, transportation, and other logistical costs.
• Contributions of support from individuals.
  
• Donations from the community, local businesses and special events.
  
• Grants from foundations and corporations.
  
• Various local governments.
• USDA reimbursements to distribute USDA commodities.

What is a Partner Agency?
Partner agencies are other non-profit organizations that feed the hungry free of charge. They can include food pantries, homeless shelters, after school programs, community kitchens and any other non-profit organizations that provide food or meals to hungry people.

On average, the Food Bank provides about 70% of the food Partner Agencies use in their feeding programs. The agencies contribute a nominal shared maintenance contribution of 0 to 19 cents per pound. (an average of 9 cents per pound). This helps the Food Bank with a small portion of the costs associated with transporting, storing, and distributing the food. This system of Food Banking saves our partner agencies more than $17 million dollars annually.