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Where does the food come from?
What does all this cost?
How food banking works
Where does the food come from?
Nationwide,
20 percent of the food produced becomes "waste" in the marketplace.
Individually and as
a network, food banks help prevent the waste of food by working
with the food industry to acquire, transport, and distribute unmarketable
but wholesome food. The food may be donated because the packaging
is slightly damaged, the product has been discontinued or is mislabeled,
over-production occurred during manufacturing, growers produced
more than they can sell profitably, or simply, the commercial
donor generously provides the product.
Tarrant Area Food Bank obtains food
through
- Donations from
- Food Industry (growers, manufacturers,
wholesalers, discount brokers,
distributors, retailers)
- Community Food Drives
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Commodities
Program
- Purchasing
Occasionally, when the supply
of key nutritional items such as protein
is low, TAFB purchases food at a greatly
discounted rate.
Many donations
from the food industry come through America's
Second Harvest, a national network of more than 200 regional
food distribution centers, or food banks, including TAFB. America's
Second Harvest recruits national food companies to donate mislabeled,
surplus or other unmarketable, but viable, food products to the
network.
In Texas, the 18 Second
Harvest Food Bank affiliates regularly share and redistribute
donations throughout the state network, or Texas Association of
Second Harvest Food Banks.
TAFB is also dependent upon donations
from local food companies
to meet the needs of our agency network.
Commercial food operations are encouraged
to donate their surplus, unmarketable
products by calling Lety Fraley at 817-332-9177
or email at lety.fraley@tafb.org.
We supplement our food supply with
product from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. We have
the exclusive contract in our 13-county
service area to distribute USDA
commodities for The Emergency Food Assistance
Program (TEFAP). In any given year,
these commodities make up 20 to 30 percent
of our total distribution.
What
does all this cost?
Agencies in Tarrant
Area Food Bank's network pay a handling fee, called shared
maintenance, ranging from 0¢ up to 18¢ per
pound for canned, boxed and frozen foods. All fresh dairy products
and fresh breads are exempt from the fee. The handling fee helps
defray transportation, equipment, maintenance and food handling
costs. Other services, such as training, nutrition information
and recipes, are free to the agencies. Agencies may earn credit
toward the distribution fee by having volunteers sort and box
food in our warehouse.
The use of a handling fee to share
operational costs is standard procedure
for food banks throughout America's
Second Harvest. The fee enables the
partner agencies and the food banks
to adjust to changes in the level of
need for emergency and supplemental
food.
How Food Banking Works
WHO WE
HELP: Who Is Hungry | Who
We Serve | Service
Area Map
HOW WE HELP: What
We Do | Food Distribution |
Special Programs
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