How Food Banks Manage Donated Food Supplies
Food banks, like the Second Harvest of The Greater Valley, receive donations from many sources. And the food bank employees sort and inspect all incoming food items for quality and safety before storing them away in a central location. Food banks often store their supplies in large warehouses and pack up the donated food into boxes to be shipped out to local food pantries.
There are often not enough supplies for all of the people in need, and many starving people go without receiving any supply of food from a local food bank. Food banks donate surplus supplies when they have more than can be reasonably distributed to those in need. And many food pantries choose to reject donations if they already have enough supplies, as it would be impractical and irresponsible to accept more than the pantry can reasonably distribute on a regular basis.
Oftentimes, a lot of people incorrectly believe that charities like food banks receive their donations solely from grocery stores. But in reality, many food pantries will never see the food banks that are filled with donations from grocery stores alone, though partner local shops and supermarkets do offer their surplus supplies to these organizations to provide for hungry people. At times, many local food pantries receive their supplies directly from members of the public who are willing to provide food for those in need. Any additional food that is donated to a local charity will be distributed to hungry individuals.
So how food banks manage donated food supplies and ensure they are properly stored and sorted before distribution? And how do they ensure provisions are well-kept and utilized before they spoil? Learn more as we’ll tackle this topic in today’s post.
Food Supply Management In Food Pantries
In many cases, when a food bank receives more food supplies than they can distribute to people in need, they will donate the excess to another local food pantry. This is a way for these organizations to assist more people in need without wasting any of their supplies.
Furthermore, many of the warehouses that store donated food items will package up all of these items and ship them out to different pantries. The main concern with this process is that it can be wasteful and costly. The processed and packaged foods that are donated often come in bulky boxes and do not usually keep for very long before they spoil if unopened.
To counter this issue, many food banks store their surplus items in smaller boxes so they don’t have to spend as much on shipping costs. This makes it easier to distribute surplus items, and it also ensures that food pantries are receiving the right supplies that they need to best serve their clients. However, smaller boxes can become very heavy with bulkier items often stacked on top of each other. And this means many pantries have to spend more time distributing these boxes rather than going through the process of unpacking these supplies and sorting them.
However, a new initiative has been developed on how food banks manage donated food supplies in order to help more pantries get their hands on the items they need without having to go through this time-consuming and expensive process. A local food bank can now earn credits from partnering grocery stores by collecting surplus foods that are still safe for consumption but do not meet the standards set out by food banks. Once enough credits have been earned, they can be traded in for donations of specific types of food products that a particular pantry requires most.
This is a huge win-win situation since grocery stores are always looking to get rid of their excess supplies and food pantries need a way to get the right supplies without wasting their valuable time and energy on sorting and distributing bulkier items that don’t meet requirements. And those who are working with food banks will be able to rest easy knowing that they’re helping feed as many people as possible by trading in credits for donations suitable to specific pantries.
Do Food Pantries Accept Non-Food Items As Donations
Many food pantries do accept donations of non-food items since they are usually always in need of supplies. Food pantries will often accept canned goods, batteries, toiletries, books, school supplies, and more during their donation drive events. Most of the time these items are donated for children in need or for people who don’t have much to survive on. What you need to keep in mind though is that though food banks accept non-food items, you’ll still have to follow their guidelines so you will know what items you can and can’t donate.
Also, food pantries receive daily deliveries from regional warehouses where they collect all their items to distribute. These food banks have a strict schedule that is often planned out tons of time in advance. This means that when a donor makes an appointment for a donation drop-off, it can be very difficult for the receiving organization to accommodate this request since they are already scheduled to receive large donations that day.
The receiving organization has to find a way to sort through all of the donated items that they usually wouldn’t have time for. Otherwise, the food bank would have to turn down donations from other donors who wanted their items delivered at certain times. So it is best if donors just have their donation dropped off at the food bank during a regularly scheduled delivery day.
Will Your Local Food Bank Accept Money Or Food Donations
Food donations are always better than donations of money to food banks. When it comes to the donation of money, the only thing that food banks are able to do with this provides vouchers for food items – vouchers that are not usually worth as much as the equivalent amount of cash.
Food donations, on the other hand, will give people who are struggling with poverty access to nutritious, fresh produce that they would not be able to afford otherwise. Food donations also help reduce waste and motivate people to eat healthier and prepare meals from home more often.
Donating food is the best way for people to help those who are struggling with poverty. And food pantries are always accepting both individual donations of canned foods as well as bulk donations of canned goods that they can distribute to families in need.
To make a food donation to your local food bank, you can contact the organization directly. You may also be able to find out where they are located by calling your city hall or local department of social services office.
But before donating any type of canned goods, always check the expiration date on the label since expired foods will become toxic and dangerous for the people who are consuming them. Removing the labels from your food donations will help make sorting easier when it comes time to distribute the cans to people in need.
While donating canned goods is always better than donating money, you should not donate expired or opened food items, perishable foods (foods that will spoil quickly), or homemade meals.
How To Organize The Food Donations You’re Going To Give At Food Banks
It is important that you follow a few steps to properly organize your food donations. First, check the expiration date on the label and remove the labels from the cans. Next, organize your items by category – canned goods, soup, rice dishes, etc. This will help the receiving organization who will be sorting through these items when it comes time to distribute them to people in need. Finally, measure out a small space in your home where you can keep these food donations for a couple of days before they are donated so you can avoid any last-minute donations while ensuring that you don’t forget anything while packing up your car for donation day.
When donating food items to a food bank or pantry, do not remove the labels from your donations. This small step will help the receiving organization quickly sort through all of the donated items and distribute them in an organized manner. If you don’t want to keep expiration dates on your canned goods at home, simply write “Inspected” on the labels and the expiration dates will not come into play when it comes time for sorting and distribution.
A food pantry is always in need of non-perishable items such as canned goods, macaroni and cheese, soup, rice dishes, sauce/gravy mixes, pasta, coffee/tea bags (without staples), peanut butter, and other items that do not spoil easily.
Goods such as fruits, vegetables, breads, meats, and dairy products are usually only accepted from local donors – people who live within close proximity to the organization – since these types of foods will need to be distributed right away so they don’t spoil.
And always remember in order for a food donation to be accepted, there are certain criteria that must be met (as previously mentioned). The items should always meet the same health and safety standards – this means that any perishable foods such as meats and dairy products will not be included as donations. And that these food items must be included in the list of foods accepted by food banks.