Why Should You Donate To Local Food Banks
“Millions of vulnerable children are losing the healthy meals they depend on as the closes schools nationwide,” Davis said at the beginning of the pandemic. “As of , 39 states had closed schools entirely. When you add in the districts closed in other states it means 41.6 million kids, or 4 out of 5 kids, are out of school.” Even in areas where the schools were still open, many businesses were closed, which meant hourly workers who may have already been struggling to make ends meet were hit hard.
Fortunately, as of July 2022, the health risks posed by the pandemic have lessened over time. However, Davis notes that the need and the financial impact has not abated. âFamilies still face ongoing challenges due to the strained supply chain, rising food and gas prices, and skyrocketing inflation,â she says. âToday, one in six kids face hunger in the U.S.â
According to a recent Feeding America food bank survey, 80 percent of food banks across the country reported an increase or steady demand for food. Food insecurity exists everywhere, says Zuani Villarreal, the senior director of communication for Feeding America. âIt could be your classmate it could be a co-worker it could be your neighbor a fellow church goer that needs help and I think the awareness of that issue should drive people to help,â she says. For this reason, donating to food banks is more important than ever.
Community Food Donations And Drives Are Critical To Afac’s Ability To Feed The Families In Our Care
AFAC currently distributes over 80,000 pounds of food to over 2,400 families every week, and our service numbers continue to grow. Food drives are a great way to help AFAC – 40% of the food AFAC distributes is donated!
40% of the food AFAC distributes is donated to us. The other 60% is purchased through wholesalers
AFAC purchases 60% of the food we distribute from wholesalers this is to ensure the quality and consistency of certain perishable items, such as eggs, milk, and chicken. Currently, those costs are skyrocketing the cost of eggs has more than doubled in the last year! We are committed to providing these staples to our families, and food drives help us by supplying shelf-stable items – so we don’t have to buy them.
Your food drive also provides certain items that we need, but cannot get wholesale rates for – in particular, cereal that kids will eat . Because AFAC is a 501c3 charity, food donations are tax-deductible!
Donation and Tax Deduction Information
- Donated food is valued at $1.70 per pound
- To donate food, please drive up to the left side of our Nelson Street location
- Your food donation will be weighed and a receipt will be issued at the time of drop-off.
- Food donations of 100 pounds of food or more will also receive a tax receipt by mail.
AFAC accepts most unopened, unexpired, and unprepared foods, including perishable items. AFAC is most in need of the following Heart Healthy items:
- Low sodium tomato products
- Low sodium canned tuna
Most Deprived Persons Program
While many European food banks have long been run by civil society with no government assistance, an EU-funded project, the Most deprived persons program , had specialized in supplying food to marginalized people who are not covered by the benefits system, who were in some cases reluctant to approach the more formal food banks. The program involved the EU buying surplus agricultural products, which were then distributed to the poor largely by Catholic churches. The MDP was wound down in late 2013 and was replaced by the Fund for European Aid to Most Deprived , which is set to run until at least 2020. The FEAD program has a wider scope than the MDP, helping deprived people not just with food aid, but with social inclusion projects and housing. The actual methods employed by FEAD tend to vary from country to country, but in several EU states, such as Poland, its activities include helping to fund local food bank networks.
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How Your Gift Makes A Difference
Your monetary donation to the Red Cross helps provide food, shelter, relief supplies, emotional support, recovery planning and other assistance during disasters.
When you donate money, you’re with us as we respond to more than 60,000 disasters each year.
You were with us as we installed more than 2 million smoke alarms in vulnerable communities since 2014. When you donate money to the Red Cross you’ll be there as we hold 500 blood drives each day, collecting 40% of the nation’s supply of blood and blood products. And as we provide nearly 471,000 services to military members, veterans and their families each year.
The Red Cross provides critical services to people who don’t know where to turn after a disaster, who require lifesaving blood, or who need help from our nation after sacrificing so much on our behalf. We don’t turn away people who need assistance we are committed to bringing help and hope to all those in need. All of this is possible because of individuals like you who donate money to the Red Cross.
Your support makes it possible.
Who Habitat For Humanity Helps
Habitat for Humanity helps individuals and communities in over 70 countries.3 Anyone can apply to live in one of the organizations homes, but applicants are accepted based on financial need.
In addition to paying their mortgages, which come with affordable and realistic financing options, Habitat for Humanity home buyers also agree to help the organization with volunteer work.
Also Check: Food Banks In Oklahoma City
Looking For Other More Non
Freedges are public refrigerators that provide a place for people to donate, share, and obtain food within the community. Foods that can be donated include fresh produce, prepackaged baked and dry foods, commercially packaged foods, dairy products, and labeled home-cooked meals. All home-cooked meals must be labeled with date of donation, food description, and list of allergens. Visit Find a Freedge, to utilize the interactive map to locate a community fridge near you.
Little Free Pantries are small pantries that provide a space for people to donate what they can and take what they need. It is a great place to donate small amounts of nonperishable foods and personal care products to people in your community. Mini pantry movement is an interactive map that locates little free pantries in your community.
Food not Bombs is a food rescue organization aimed to decrease hunger through the distribution of vegan and vegetarian meals to communities in need. Visit here to locate and donate to a Food not Bombs location near you.
What Food Items Can Be Donated
As a rule of thumb, Villarreal says food banks are looking for food pantry staples that most people have in their kitchens such as grains, pastas, canned beans, cereal, and peanut butter. Guerra adds that low-sodium canned vegetables, rice, and canned fruit are also needed.
There are some items that food banks generally donât take as donations such as homemade items, Guerra says. Villarreal advises not donating items in glass containers as they can shatter during transportation or anything thatâs opened, damaged, or unlabeled.
Keep the expiration dates in mind as well. âMany nonperishable items have a shelf life well beyond their sell-by date,â Guerra says. So, Villarreal recommends using your best judgment. If the item is near its expiration date it should be fine to donate, but if itâs well past the date itâs best to toss it.
Depending on the food bank, some also accept other items as donations. Think of things that youâd find at your local grocery store such as feminine hygiene products, toothpaste, soap, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, diapers, pet food, and other household items.
Read Also: How To Donate To Food Bank
How Do You Get Donations From Walmart In 2022
You can get donations from Walmarts Community Giving Program via an online application process available on the companys website as of 2022. The application process involves giving complete details on your organization, along with a description of the program you need funding for. Once your application is reviewed, youll receive feedback via email.
If you are a student, you can get a grant for tuition from Walmart and many other companies! For more information, read this article.
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Who Will Take Food Donations
- Food pantries: Use findhelp.org to find a food pantry near you that accepts donations. Call ahead to make sure that the pantry can accept your donation and coordinate how and when it should be delivered or picked up.
- Food banks: Contact Central Texas Food Bank to schedule a donation.
- Food rescue programs like Keep Austin Fed may be able to help with donation logistics.
Read Also: St Leo’s Food Bank
After The 2007 Financial Crisis
Following the financial crisis of 200708, and the lasting inflation in the price of food that began in late 2006, there has been a further increase in the number of individuals requesting help from American and Canadian food banks. By 2012, according to Food Banks Canada, over 850,000 Canadians needed help from a food bank each month. For the United States, Gleaners Indiana Food bank reported in 2012 that there were then 50 million Americans struggling with food insecurity , with the number of individuals seeking help from food banks having increased by 46% since 2005. According to a 2012 UCLA Center for Health Policy Research study, there has been a 40% increase in demand for Californian food banks since 2008, with married couples who both work sometimes requiring the aid of food banks. Dave Krepcho, director of the Second Harvest Food Bank in Orlando, has said that college-educated professional couples have begun to turn to food pantries.
Giving Is Easy With Instacart
Were excited to share that weve teamed up with Instacart to make holiday giving extra easy this year with the launch of Community Carts! With this feature, you can now send food donations directly to us without leaving your home.
All you have to do is:
In addition, if you place an order between now and December 4, 2022, Instacart will match the value of your donation 1:1 up to $100,000 to Feeding America.
Also Check: Houston Food Bank Mobile Pantry
Get A Tax Credit For Your Donation
Giving makes good “cents” – and AZ tax credit dollars, too!
We are recognized as a Qualifying Charitable Organization , QCO code 20527, which means that you can receive a tax credit on your Arizona state taxes for your donation, and you dont even have to itemize to receive it! Under Arizona law, you may be able to receive up to $400 or $800 when you make a gift to AzFBN. See www.azdor.gov for more details, and be sure to consult your tax preparer or financial adviser for information specific to your situation.
Another Option: If you are at least 70 1/2 years young, you may qualify to donate from your IRA without triggering tax consequences when you transfer funds directly. Again, consult your tax preparer or financial advisor for specific advice.
How To Make An Electronic Signature For The Walmart Donation Request Form Right From Your Smartphone
Get walmart donation request 2022 signed right from your smartphone using these six tips:
The whole procedure can take a few seconds. You can download the signed to your device or share it with other parties involved with a link or by email, as a result. Due to its cross-platform nature, signNow works on any gadget and any OS. Use our eSignature tool and forget about the old times with security, efficiency and affordability.
Recommended Reading: St Joseph’s Food Bank
Food Insecurity In America
Feeding America estimates 42 million Americans are food insecure, and over 13 million children are currently living in food insecure households. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity has drastically increased for over 10 million Americans. Unsurprisingly, children, minorities, and the elderly populations are disproportionately impacted. It is critical that our local food systems have a source of fresh and healthy foods available to distribute to our underserved populations.
Now, thinking back to this story, how can this mother and child make sure their nutritional needs are met? Well, they can go to hunger relief organizations to receive the food they need. And here is where you can come in! You can drop off food donations to your local hunger relief organizations. Those organizations will then redistribute these resources to food insecure families in your local community.
The main goal of hunger relief organizations is to provide a source of food to populations in need. Hunger relief organizations form partnerships with individual donors, community retailers, distributors, government agencies, and other organizations to distribute food to food insecure families. With that said, how does donating food help the community? Donating food is a great way to decrease food waste, reduce production of greenhouse gases, and strengthen your community through food.
We have compiled a list of resources below, so you can easily donate food near you.
How Do I Donate To A Local Food Bank
The donation process will vary from food bank to food bank. To find your local food bank, Villarreal advises visiting FeedingAmerica.org and entering your zip code into the food bank locator. From there, she recommends connecting with that local food bank. Typically, theyâll have a most-needed list of items of things you can donate.
Financial donations are also welcome at most food banks as are volunteers. âVolunteerism is a huge need at all food banks,â Guerra says. âAnd the donation of the dollar goes a long way also. In fact, with the increase of fuel, most food banks need the dollar more than ever to keep food flowing into and across their local service region.â
Other local meal programs such as Meals on Wheels also rely on volunteers to deliver and prepare meals. âFor many recipients, the trusted Meals on Wheels volunteer who shows up every day with a meal and a smile is the only person they see or speak with all day,â says Jenny Young, the vice president of communications for Meals on Wheels America.
And if youâre not in a position to donate food, money, or time, Davis says helping spread the word about available resources for families in need is one of the easiest ways to support. âNo Kid Hungry has a texting line to help,â she says. âFamilies can text âFOODâ or âCOMIDAâ to 304-304 to find community meal sites for their kids.â
Also Check: Northern Illinois Food Bank Mobile Pantry
Hunger Affects So Many In Our Community
Many of our neighbors are making difficult choices whether to buy food or pay for rent or utilities. They are the working poor who struggle each day to provide lifes necessities for their families.
343,000 people
served by the Food Bank and its more than 1,000 partner agencies in FY2021 across our 6-county service area.
1 in 6 people
in the Food Banks service area is food insecure, meaning they do not know where their next meal will come from.
1 in 5 children
live in poverty across our service area. Clevelands child poverty rate has been consistently among the highest of large U.S. cities.
87,000+ new people
How To Donate Food
You can donate foods in most local supermarkets after purchasing your weekly shop, there is a box for food donations which is easily accessible. Supermarket collections are one of the main ways that food is donated to help those in crisis. You can also drop off your donations directly to the food bank – but ensure you check their website before you travel as they may have specific drop off times and locations.
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Donations From Restaurants Grocery Stores And Wholesalers
Use the phone book, Internet, and your knowledge of the restaurants, grocery stores, and/or wholesalers and food warehouses in the area to compile a list of places that carry food suitable for your needs. Include what you can find of contact names, phone numbers, plus email and physical addresses, for each business.
Get the best results by visiting the restaurants and grocery stores in person. Ask the hosts, hostesses or managers who you need to talk to for food donations. Show them your organization credentials and/or event flyer and information sheet if you have them. Ask the person you are directed to for the donations. For wholesalers and food warehouses, it is best to call ahead to connect with a contact person who can meet you at the warehouse. Stay personable and friendly at all times. If someone tells you no, move on to the next business on your list.
Collect the food you are given into shopping bags and/or cardboard boxes. Load them into your car. If the food is perishable, put it in a cooler. Store the food in a suitable place until you are ready to use it. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you get the amount of food you need.