Start a Food Bank
A food bank is an organization that takes nonperishable food donations and distributes them to agencies or individuals in need of food. With over 925 million people in the world going without proper amounts of food, the need for food banks and donations is at an all time high. Every community has citizens in need of help when it comes to providing food for themselves and their families. You can help fight hunger by starting a food bank of your own.
Contents
Steps
- Find a place to store the food. The amount of donations you get may vary throughout the year, so find a place large enough to accommodate the intake. If you are an individual operation, you may be able to start by storing things in your basement or garage.
- Contact organizations in your area that can help bring in food donations and can recommend people in need. Working with churches, schools, and local government agencies is a great place to start.
- Notify other area food banks of your operation. Some banks may have food surpluses that you may be able to purchase. Some food banks do require you to pay for food while others do not.
- Set up a schedule for when people or agencies will receive food from you. Some food banks may only disperse donations every 2 weeks. You may also be able to work with these other agencies to offer your donations on the opposite weeks to help a larger portion of the community.
- Collect donations. You may do this by holding food drives through schools and churches or by setting up a drop-off site outside the local grocery store or other business. Make sure you have permission from the business owner first before you do anything. Grocers may also be willing to donate items that are reaching the expiration dates.
- Process items as they come in. Have shelving set up in your bank area to separate the items according to product type (cans, boxes, breakfast items, fresh food, dried goods etc). Double check expiration dates and throw out any that are past the freshness date or foods that look suspicious.
- Prepare boxes of food donations the day before you will disperse them. Try to have a variety in each box. If you are packaging for individuals, keep in mind the amount of people the food has to feed and pack accordingly.
- Keep records of individuals who use your service, their dietary needs, and the size of their families. These records can help you better assess what to prepare for them.
- Search for additional funding. Food donations can decrease during certain times of the year, especially around the holidays when they are needed the most. By getting additional funding, you will be able to fight hunger on a more consistent basis. Reach out to local community groups for monetary funding or check for government funding programs.
Tips
- For items that have a more specific base (like gluten-free or sugar-free foods), store them in their own area. When individuals come to the bank who may be diabetic or have special food needs, allow them to look at the items directly and pick out a few they would like.
- You may need to set up requirements for your services. This will make sure those who truly need the food donations are getting them.
- You can get packing boxes from your local grocer. Speak to someone at the store and ask that someone set aside boxes for you. This will also help keep costs down.
Warnings
- Do not take food that will spoil easily or has a short shelf life. Fresh fruits and vegetables should only be included if they will be consumed before they spoil.
Things You'll Need
- Storage area
- Non-perishable items
- Shelving
- Boxes
