WHAT IS A
FOOD BANK?
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"California Food Banks: Who We Are & Who We Serve"
 The
food bank is generally defined as a charitable
organization which solicits and warehouses donated
food and other products. This food is then
distributed to a variety of community agencies which
serve people in need.
Under
this definition, the major focus of food banks is not
to provide food directly to low-income individuals and
families. Instead, food banks provide food to other
community based agencies that, in turn, provide food
to low-income families. However, the term food bank
is often used for agencies that primarily provide food
directly to individuals. Many of these agencies may
have a very limited warehouse space, and may focus on
a smaller service area.
There are approximately 60 food banks
in California. Food banks are very diverse -- some are
very small, rural operations; some are very large
facilities that store and distribute many millions of
pounds of food each year. Eleven California counties
have more than one food bank. Several rural counties
do not have a food bank located in their county and
are served by a food bank in another county.
Food banks receive food in many
different ways. The Federal Emergency Food Assistance
Program (EFAP) is one key food assistance program. In
2001-2002 California received about $5.6 million in
federal funds to cover storage and distribution costs,
and about $12 million for food purchase. About one
million people received EFAP food each month in
California.
About 50 California food banks
participate in EFAP. For some smaller, rural food
banks, EFAP food may be the only source of emergency
food for their community. For most food banks, EFAP is
a key program, but is one of many food bank programs.
Food banks also participate in the Brown Bag program
(serving the senior population), a variety of programs
serving children and other programs.
About 20 food banks in California are
members of America’s Second Harvest (secondharvest.org),
the largest charitable source of food in the country.
America’s Second Harvest solicits and distributes
donated food to their network of almost 200 food
banks. These food banks receive and distribute this
food to their network of 50,000 local agencies. In
addition to soliciting and distributing food,
America’s Second Harvest provides training and
technical assistance to member food banks. advocates
for federal food programs, and educates policy makers
and the public about hunger.
California’s food bank network
distributes over 200 million pounds of food to 5,000
community based agencies each year. These agencies,
supported by a network of over 25,000 volunteers,
distribute food to over 2 million hungry families and
individuals.
Food banks are very efficient
operations with low overheads. Due to the high levels
of community support, broad base of volunteers, and
industry support, food banks typically leverage
approximately $10 worth of food for every dollar
received. As efficient as this network is, it cannot
come close to meeting the need.
The need for emergency food and support
services provided by California food banks has
continued to rise. According to a 1999 U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) study, state California ranks 11th
in food insecurity rankings. Over 11% of California
household are food insecure meaning they lack
adequate and assured access to enough food to meet the
household’s need. Over the last several years,
participation in the food stamp program has dropped
dramatically – less than half of those eligible are
participating in the program.
While most food banks can summarize their philosophy
as providing food for hungry people, many actively
work to end hunger, and to educate and involve the
community they serve. California food banks are
leaders in developing new programs for children,
providing education on nutrition, and educating state
and federal legislators on hunger.
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