Food Not Preferred at Food Banks

Believe it or not, food banks in general would rather have money than food.

Well, it's the truth all right; food banks don't really want food so much as they want money. 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. But why not? Everyone knows that a food bank's function is to collate and distribute food. It would seem nothing short of common sense, not to mention common decency, to drop off food at a food bank! 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?

But that's only a surprise until you consider all the details involved.

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!)!

Fact: food banks receive dramatic discounts, so they can really make every dollar stretch.

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. Drivers, administrators, as well as rent and utilities all cost money - especially in a town like New York, for example: City Harvest distributes some fifty-seven thousand pounds of food each day out of the more than three million pounds collected annually. This takes trucks, and truck drivers. This is how come even though you may have as much money as people like Isaac Toussie or Al Roker your money is still good - and far better than any food you donate!

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Paul Wise recommends sites such as http://www.isaactoussiemba.com where industry pros meet to discuss industry trends.

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