Food banks face high costs but feeding more people

3-4 times a year, our students go out into communities (When we do it on a retreat weekend, we're able to hit over 1,500 homes), and collect 1-2 cans of food from folks, if they can spare it. IT goes to our local food bank.

Most food banks folks will tell you...Feb-August is quite lean. The fall usually gets a bit better, and Christmas sees a lot of donations. But they need food year round. That is complicated this year by more needs.

Donate if you can, guys.

 

The food banks pay $0.08 per pound for the foods they give away. Means a box of cereal is less then $0.08, most canned veggies are around $0.08 to $0.10 a can.
This where the foods at local food banks come from=
http://www.secondharvestky.com/

I'm sure there is an increase of need right now. Here people lie and cheat to get free food, and not just what they need, but all they can get, no matter the need. And these aren't all needy or even low income people either. I have seen this personally when I used to have to visit food banks when I had children living at home.

 

Food banks are not government agencies, so not you do not have to sign up through social services or any agency at all. You just show up and get a box, most places you chose which foods you want, it looks like grocery store shelves. Some places though fill a box and give to you.They are the ones who usually have small food banks, and limited resources. All they want is your name(some don't even want your name), some want address, phone number, the only time I was ever asked about income was when we got commodities, which are given to food banks by the goverment, so there are goverment standards for the commoditites, which they use not only for eligability but to determine how much a family recieves.
Basically to get food, just get in line, unless it's commodities. Which is why there are people abusing it, no need to prove income, so I've seen a lot of well to do people recieving food bank foods, ad yes it was for them, not others. You aren't allowed to go and get food for other people, each family has to get their own and only theirs.

 

Why do you have to have government be a part of it if it isn't a government agency? Or does the food come from or partially funded by the government? Seems if a church wants to give away food, they could chose who to give it too, not the government. Here they have nothing to do with government unless they want to be able to give away commodities, and then the government only over sees that portion. Not all food banks give away commodities. Most are privately operated, like through churches. They have to follow the basic rules from the Second Harvest (where most of the food bank foods come from), but that is it.
In the link I gave, under active members, I don't know a lot of them, but in BArren co. Pathfinders is a school agency, mostly to serve families in the school district, but I have taken mom there. She had to prove income, and they gave a her a couple of boxes of food. In Hart co. Wickerville Baptist church I've been too many times in the past, they box it up because they have a small food closet, no personal info needed. Others that I've been too not still participating you just walked up, no need to give your name even, one was open only 2 days a week in the afternoons and there was always a line.
The other one just go in and get it. But that guy, a preacher, was stealing from it. They aren't allowed to charge or even suggest a donation, now not allowed to accept a donation, and he weighted and charged for the food. But it was still a small fraction of grocery stores($0.30 for a box of $3.95 cereal is still good). He didn't put all the money he collected in the box for future food bank purchases either, saw he many times stick it in his pocket, or wallet even. His family picked through the food to get what they wanted first.

 

Any food bank I have seen is done through church or parachurch ministries. And there are plenty of them in Fla.