About Tarrant Area Food Bank
Tarrant Area Food Bank was founded in 1982 by a group of Fort Worth residents concerned about hunger in their community. It is now the primary source of donated food for hunger-relief charities and feeding programs in Tarrant and 12 surrounding counties, serving 1,000,000 meals each week.
60,000,000
Nutritious meals provided in a year
Shred Event Offers Chance To De
If you have personal documents you are ready to part with, you can shred them safely and help the Newmarket Food Pantry as part of an upcoming Shred-it for charity event this October.
The event is hosted by Andrea Bartley of IPC Securities. She held a similar event last year to help people dispose of personal documents they had been holding on to and said it was a big hit.
People over the last few years have been at home and had nothing else to do, cleaning out their closets and all their personal documents. So its been great to give people an outlet for donation, they can come in, drop off all their stuff, and its all secure and they can see it being shredded at that moment and not have to worry about it, she said.
Bartley thought it would be good as an annual event to help people de-clutter and also protect them from identity theft or fraud.
Theres been a lot of fraud out there. Whether its people going through peoples garbage, theres spam and the emails, she said.
You should be careful when disposing of any documents that contain personal information that could be used to steal your identity. This includes bank statements, investment account statements, old credit cards, old ID cards, tax statements. Bartley said the consensus is you can part with anything older than seven years.
They may be cleaning out or moving an elderly parent out of a home. This may be a great opportunity to go through all those documents and get rid of things, Bartley said.
Donation Drive To Support Lethbridge Food Banks As Demand Rises
LETHBRIDGE, AB The Alberta Motor Association wants to do its part to help out local food banks.
AMA Vice-President of Corporate Purpose Jane Flower says the company is partnering with Food Banks Alberta and select grocery stores across the province to collect non-perishable food for vulnerable families.
We saw the urgent need across the provinceespecially in rural areasand reached out to Food Banks Alberta to see how we could help, says Flower. Nobody should have to choose between putting food on the table or keeping a roof over their familys head.
Drop-off donation bins will be placed at the following grocery stores in Lethbridge between Friday, September 16-30, 2022:
- Safeway South, 2750 Fairway Plaza
- Safeway West, 1-550 University Dr.
- Kens No Frills, 425 13 St. N
- Troys No Frills, 4 Aquitania Blvd.
- Real Canadian Wholesale Club, 1706 Mayor Magrath Dr. SW
- Save-On-Foods North, 45-1240 2 A Ave. N
- Save-On-Foods West, 401 Highlands Blvd. W
- Real Canadian Superstore, 3515 Mayor Magrath Dr. S
- Sobeys Uplands, 327 Bluefox Blvd. N
All proceeds from the Lethbridge food drive will go to the Interfaith Food Bank and the Lethbridge Food Bank.
Interfaith Food Bank Executive Director Danielle McIntyre says they need all the help they can get this year.
We are still struggling with some supply chain issues, sometimes our food orders are shorted or we dont quite get everything we asked for, and we certainly have a lot more clients right now, says McIntyre.
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St Louis Area Foodbank
Hunger is a complicated problem, but we can make significant strides towards long-term solutions by addressing it in the classroom and the Capitol as well as at the dinner table. Make a difference by engaging lawmakers and other leaders in the fight against hunger.
Help stock the shelves of a local hunger relief organization by hosting a food drive at your school, office, or organization. From non-perishable food to personal care items, every donation has a real impact for someone in our community in need.
What Do Food Banks Need At Christmas
Festive treats are appreciated as food donations at food banks during the Christmas holidays particularly Christmas pudding, as it often comes with a long-life use by date. The Trussell Trust recommends non-alcoholic puddings.
Chocolate coins and Christmas dinner non-perishables such as tinned pies, vegetables, condiments, and gravy are all appreciated this time of year. Festive treats for those who can’t afford them at this time of year are welcome.
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Help Us Stop Mass Homelessness
The UKs food poverty rate is already among the highest in Europe. Despite being the sixth richest country in the world, millions are struggling to access the food they need.
But anyone can donate to a food bank and it is one of the most direct ways of helping local people at their most desperate time.
Never donated to a food bank before? Dont know where to find the local collection centre near you? Not sure why they exist in the first place? Heres everything you need to know.
Do Food Banks Charge For Food
Food banks dont charge for food but most only help people who have been referred by a professional. Often, they will accept vouchers.
A voucher is exchanged for an emergency food parcel typically containing at least three days worth of food. If someone needs to use a food bank, they will normally need to seek another referral.
The idea that lots of people go to food banks for free groceries is a myth many users report shame and stigma around needing food aid and most people only seek a referral after having no income for at least a month, according to Turn2us.
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Food Vs Financial Donations
Coordinating a food & funds drive with your family business, school, church, or community organization can make a difference in the life of people who are hungry. Learn more about hosting a food & funds drive. For additional information on food drives, please contact Alex Branham at 330.436.3170.
All food drive donations are inspected three unique times by our team of skilled volunteers before the items can be distributed to our network of hunger-relief partners. These volunteers are looking to ensure that the food items havent been tampered with, recalled and are within the appropriate timeline to distribute according to the date printed on the food item. At the Foodbank, we want to ensure the food we distribute is food we would be proud to bring home to our own families.
Financial donations have an immediate impact by providing meals. Since we are in the business of receiving surplus food, financial donations allow us to purchase items to complement our varying menu while aiding in the process of rescuing and distributing food to our neighbors in need. While both food and financial donations are extremely necessary and valued, because of our large purchasing power, we can make your dollar go further. Every dollar donated to the Foodbank is the equivalent of four meals.
Your donations are protected against liability. View information on the Ohio Good Samaritan Law that protects food donors in Ohio.
What To Donate To Food Banks And Food Pantries
Is it better to donate food or money to a food bank? If you can afford to do so, the food banks we spoke with provided a unanimous answer: Money is better. Food banks have incredible buying power because they are making bulk purchases, and they can stretch a single dollar into multiple meals.
If you look at the food bank model and what a food bank can do with a dollar, the amount of food it can acquire for a dollar is way better than what you and I can do at a grocery store, explained Scott. In most cases, a food bank can provide up to 4-5 meals with a single dollar.
However, if youd prefer to donate food or supplies, Scott and Jeff both strongly recommended checking in with your local food bank before heading out to the grocery store. Food banks needs can vary widely based on the season, the needs of the community theyre serving and what types of donations theyve recently received. For example, during harvest season, they might get a sudden influx of fresh produce, but have very little fresh fruit and vegetables during colder winter months.
In general, the following are almost always in high demand and should be at the top of your food bank items list:
- Shelf-stable proteins, especially peanut butter, nut butter and canned meats
- Low-sodium canned foods, such as low/no-salt soups and vegetables
- Cleaning supplies and sanitation items
- Personal hygiene items
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How To Volunteer At Food Banks
Food bank volunteers are needed to help out in many different ways at food banks. There is a wide variety of volunteer work, from delivering meals to helping with bookkeeping. If youre searching for ways to give back to your community, here are a few more prevalent ones.
It is important to build separate profiles when signing up to volunteer. Find a food bank that needs volunteers and sign up for their service that works with your schedule. In this manner, you may plan ahead of time and be available when it is most needed. If you want to know when and where you can volunteer, visit their website. There are many options, so keep looking.
Volunteers are needed at food banks to help with various activities, including assembling meal kits, making phone calls to those in need, and running errands. Volunteers could assist with specialized chores like sewing masks, distributing fliers, or creating social support calls. However, the majority of the labor is done in an anonymous capacity. Another option is to show up at an event and provide assistance. If you want to help at a food bank but arent sure youre up to the challenge, check out their website first.
Anyone Can Be A Food Donor
Anyone can donate food, including farmers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, restaurants, cafeterias, hotels, cruise ships, and households, just to name a few.
- EPAs Excess Food Opportunities Map is an interactive tool that displays the locations of nearly 1.2 million potential industrial, commercial and institutional excess food generators and more than 4,000 potential recipients of excess food including anaerobic digestion facilities, composting facilities, and food banks.
- Gleaning is the collection of excess fresh foods from farms, gardens, farmers markets, and other sources to provide it to those in need. Typically, volunteers partner with a farm to glean excess fresh produce and deliver it to a food bank or food pantry. Learn how to develop a successful gleaning program with this USDA toolkit .
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How To Support Local Food Banks And Food Pantries
There are few things more comforting than sitting down to a good meal. Unfortunately, that experience doesnt happen often enough for the millions of Americans facing food insecurity. Luckily, each of us has the power to make a difference and it starts with supporting your local food bank or food pantry.
Ready to combat food insecurity and provide hunger relief to individuals, families and children in your local community? There are lots of different ways you can donate, volunteer, fundraise and more!
Is Food The Answer
Food banks hand out emergency parcels to meet an immediate need: the thousands of people across the country who would not have anything to eat that day otherwise.
But many food banks agree: food poverty cant be separated from poverty, and food handouts are not the answer to the UKs poverty problem. They want the government to strengthen the benefits system and improve low pay across the country to make sure people can afford food in the first place.
Sabine Goodwin, coordinator for IFAN, told The Big Issue: The buck cannot stop at the doors of food banks.
Some could be forced into the unthinkable position of not even being able to offer reduced parcels to people unable to afford the bare essentials, she added.
This is never going to be resolved by food, Goodwin said.
Food banks are also receiving fewer donations from the public compared to recent months, Goodwin added, and are operating with fewer and fewer volunteers. Those remaining are exhausted.
People are going back to work. That moment of Blitz spirit has passed, she said. Some food banks might be alright now but the system is so fragile, when the expected surge in demand comes they wont be prepared.
This impossible scenario cannot be imposed on charitable food aid providers when the solution is so clear, she added
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Why You Should Donate To A Food Bank
A record 320,000 people have sought help from Trussell Trust food banks over the last six months, with demand outstripping supply for the first time ever.
The charity has been forced to launch an emergency appeal to ensure that food banks can meet the alarming level of need across the country.
Food banks are at breaking point both physically and mentally and they are set to face their hardest winter yet, the Trussell Trust has warned. They expect to provide an average of more than 7,000 emergency food parcels a day in the next six months.
Josie Barlow, food bank manager at Bradford Foodbank, said: Someone who came to the food bank recently told me that buying milk is a luxury now. So many people are struggling with bills and food prices.
Over 14.5 million people are living in poverty in the UK, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. That includes 4.3 million children.
The cost of living crisis will worsen poverty rates, with more than one million people set to be plunged into poverty this winter.
While anti-poverty campaigners lobby for long-term solutions like making the universal credit increase permanent, lifting the benefit cap and ending the two-child limit there remains an immediate need for people to get food even when they cant afford it.
How To Volunteer For A Food Bank
With over 30% of food bank project managers over 65 years old and therefore classed as at-risk, food banks are struggling with a lack of personnel to help deliver parcels due to Covid restrictions. Speaking to the Guardian, Emma Revie said, We are definitely in need of additional volunteers. One of our biggest threats is people becoming unwell and unable to volunteer.
Your local council website is likely to have a page on volunteering in your area, specifying any food banks local to you and if there are roles and jobs available. You can also search using The Trussell Trust website .
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Ner Insight: How Local Delivery Through Project Dash Expanded Hunger
Especially during times of high inflation, seniors depend on access to nutritious food from food banks and food pantries but transportation and other barriers often stop them from getting the food they need. Food insecurity remains high among seniors, and although food assistance programs exist, seniors often face barriers to access them because of transportation, mobility, and technology challenges. Unable to carry heavy food boxes on their own, many seniors are under-serviced by existing charitable food programs.
In Pennsylvania, more than 337,000 older Pennsylvanians are eligible for the Senior Food Box Program which provides nutritious food packages to low-income residents through the USDAs Commodity Supplemental Food Program but only 10% of those eligible for the program benefits are enrolled to receive the food box in 2022.
To remove barriers and increase enrollment in the underutilized Senior Food Box Program, DoorDash and Hunger-Free Pennsylvania, the states partner in administering the federally funded Senior Food Box Program, launched an innovative partnership to deliver healthy, nutritious groceries to homebound seniors. By delivering charitable food directly to seniors in their home as part of DoorDashs Project DASH social impact initiative, this partnership alleviates transportation and other barriers for seniors like managing a 25- to 35-pound food box while emphasizing convenience and dignity.
This article is a sponsored post provided by DoorDash.
Donate To My Local Food Bank
If you have new food in your refrigerator, freezer, or pantry, you can donate it to your local food bank. They can use shelf-stable, fresh, and frozen foods and non-food items that the hungry can safely consume. Pick up your donation Monday through Friday. When you donate food, include the date of purchase and the product type. In addition, they ask that you specify the reason for the donation.
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Can I Donate Toiletries To Food Bank
You can donate toiletries to most food banks but it’s worth checking on the local food bank website beforehand. The Trussell Trust recommends the following:
You can also donate household items, feminine hygiene products, and baby supplies too:
- Household items laundry liquid detergent, laundry powder, washing up liquid
- Feminine products sanitary towels and tampons
- Baby supplies nappies, baby wipes, and baby food
- Face masks and hand sanitiser
Donate Your Time: Volunteer At A Food Bank
In addition to food and financial donations, you have a precious resource that all food banks need your time! Food banks and pantries rely heavily on volunteers for their day-to-day operations.
Best of all, there are lots of different ways you can lend a helping hand depending on your skill set, physical abilities and schedule availability. Although the pandemic has impacted many food banks, most have found ways to allow volunteers to work safely, with proper health and social distancing precautions.
“We have made some big shifts in regards to our volunteer program here at Second Harvest, shared Jeff. We have volunteers ensure that they are healthy before they arrive. They use hand sanitizer and we make sure they have masks on. We keep everybody six feet apart. Were really thinking about how we can limit exposure to COVID-19 amongst our volunteer group and our staff. We have very strict protocols.
A common need among food banks is for volunteers to process incoming donations and pack distribution boxes. This involves light lifting and a little bit of walking, but generally is not physically intensive work. Typical activities might be checking incoming produce, sorting donations, separating bulk foods into individual or family servings, packing an assortment of foods and supplies in individual- and family-sized boxes and distributing those boxes at contactless pick-up sites.
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