What to Give a Food Bank
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There is a surprising truth about food banks in general, and that is that they would rather not take any food donations from you.
Honestly, many – if not most – food banks do not want to receive donated food from individual donors. Now it’s not that they are turning away restaurants, supermarkets, farmers, or manufacturers; it’s just that individual members of the public are more appreciated for their dollars (or even their time volunteering) than just about anything else. But no food, please. And how come? After all, food banksfood banks serve as central collection and distribution points for donated food. It just seems to follow that what you drop off at one is nothing else but food! And aren’t news reports to be believed, that the Great Recession has occasioned a sharp decline in the amount of food being donated by growers, grocers, and other traditional institutional donors?
It’s one of those surprising facts in life that are only surprising until the details are considered.
The main reason food banks would rather receive monetary contributions instead of food from individual donors is because of the food banks’ unique purchasing power. Yes, a lot of the food in a food bank is actually bought, not donated! But at a very great discount, one in which little if any profit is made by the sellers, such that a buck can buy six boxes of cereal (while for everyone else six dollars are needed for one single box!)!
Yes, the discounts are that steep, so steep that it makes more sense for you to just give them money instead of food.
And don’t forget that operating a food bank costs money above and beyond any necessary for food. While many people volunteer their time, there has to be a small cadre of full-timers around. A food bank needs someone to administer all the paperwork, after all, not to mention someone to drive all that food around, distributing it or picking it up, never mind expenses for rent and utilities! For example, in a metropolis like New York, City Harvest handles around 57,000 pounds of food daily – that’s some three million every year. Then there is all the equipment needed, vehicles and whatnot. That’s why even though you may not be as rich as donors such as real estate developer Isaac Toussie or Al Roker your money is still good – and far better than any food you donate!