Frequently Asked Questions

Food Recipients | Food Donations | Delivery of Food Drive/Individuals' Donations | Food Handling | Partner Agencies | Feeding and Education Programs | Volunteering | Financial Support | Other Questions

FOOD RECIPIENTS

Who are all these people who get food assistance? Are they really hungry or just taking advantage of a hand-out?

Most people who seek food assistance have to swallow their pride before going to a pantry or soup kitchen. Many are hard-working low-wage earners without health insurance who are trying to support families while dealing with medical bills, major car repairs or other situations that become financial crises because of their low incomes. Others are living on fixed Social Security incomes—people such as senior citizens or individuals with severe disabilities or life-threatening chronic illnesses. Some are middle-income earners who have been laid off and have spent their savings while job hunting.

Of all the people served by Tarrant Area Food Bank’s network of partner charities, 35% are children. In addition to eating groceries from pantries or even eating meals at soup kitchens, these children may eat at one of the Food Bank’s Kids Cafes after school or take home over the weekend a backpack of food supplied by the Food Bank.

Don’t you serve a lot of illegal immigrants?

According to a regional survey done in 2005 for Tarrant Area Food Bank as part of a national study, 88% of the recipients served by the Food Bank’s partner charities are U.S. citizens. (The national study wascommissioned by America ’s Second Harvest—The Nation’s Food Bank Network and is done every four years.)

How can a family or individual get food from Tarrant Area Food Bank? (What does a person have to do to get food?)

Tarrant Area Food Bank itself does not provide food directly to people. We supply food to the hunger-relief charities and social service agencies that serve individuals and families in our 13-county region.

Individuals and families seeking food assistance can find help by calling the three-digit phone number 2-1-1; or if calling from a cell phone, dial 817-258-8100. These two phone numbers reach United Way ’s Information and Referral staff, who can give the caller information about social service agencies that serve their home ZIP Code area.

How does a person qualify for food assistance?

Tarrant Area Food Bank only requires that a Partner Agency serve people in need. Partner Agencies set their own criteria for food assistance since they know their community better than the Food Bank does. The one exception is the distribution of USDA commodities. The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that people receiving commodities meet certain income eligibility criteria.

How many people does the food bank serve in a year?

According to a regional study done in 2005 for Tarrant Area Food Bank, our network of 300 charities provides food to more than 157,000 DIFFERENT people in a year. (The study was part of the national survey commissioned by America ’s Second Harvest—The Nation’s Food Bank Network.)

Each month, on average, the Food Bank’s network provides groceries to 30,000 to 35,000 families and serves more than 500,000 meals and snacks.

Have the number of people needing food assistance increased or decreased recently? Why?

The latest numbers we have compare the first nine months of 2005 with the first nine months of 2006. During that time, the number of families and households served by food pantries in Tarrant Area Food Bank’s 13-county service region increased 12.5%. The number of meals served by soup kitchens, senior centers, Kids Cafes, emergency shelters and other meal programs increased 13%. In this region, approximately one in seven children and their families face hunger at some time during the year.

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FOOD DONATIONS

Where does Tarrant Area Food Bank get most of its food? Or, How much of the food distributed by the Food Bank comes from food drives?

Most of the food Tarrant Area Food Bank distributes is donated by food companies, including manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers. This food, about 60% of the time, is fresh or frozen. Thus, the nonperishable food donated for food drives fills a critical gap in the food from commercial donors. The Food Bank always needs more canned and boxed foods.

At times, we purchase food to supplement donations. We have two different Purchase Programs. Under our Distribution Purchase Program, our Partner Agencies pay the usual shared maintenance fee of up to 18 cents per pound to cover part of the Food Bank’s cost of purchasing items such as beans, canned vegetables and frozen entrees. Our Cooperative Food Purchase Program offers partner agencies the opportunity to access selected items by paying the actual bulk-rate price we pay plus a 2- to 3-cent shared maintenance fee. This program supplies primarily those high-protein foods and canned goods that are difficult to obtain as donations.

What time of year is food needed most?

All year round. Hunger doesn’t take a vacation. However, donations are often the lowest in February and March and again during the summer. The Food Bank encourages groups to do food drives during these times.

What foods are most needed?

For Families:  Canned Meats (Tuna, Chicken, Stew, Chili), Canned Vegetables, Canned Fruits, Peanut Butter, Cereal, Powdered Baby Formula, Dried Soup Mixes, Dried Beans, Boxed Pastas, Rice.

Non-Food Items:  Diapers, Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, Soap, Shampoo, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels.

BackPacks for Kids:   NONPERISHABLE, SHELF-STABLE single-servings of Cereal, Oatmeal, Milk, Juice, Tuna Packs, Beans & Franks, Ramen soups, Fruit Cups, Pudding Cups, Granola Bars, Raisins, Trail Mix, Peanut Butter or Cheese Crackers, and any other nonperishable, kid-friendly, light-weight food item in single-serving containers.

What are the top 5 most needed foods?

Canned Meat or Peanut Butter, Canned Vegetables, Canned Fruits, Dried Beans and Rice.

Does the Food Bank take baby food? The Food Bank can accept baby formula and cereals. Jars of baby food must be in the original cases of the manufacturer.

Do you accept food from individuals who are not contributing to a food drive?

Tarrant Area Food Bank accepts nonperishable foods from individuals as well as from food drives. We can also accept produce from a garden.

Do you accept refrigerated or frozen foods?

Yes. Approximately 60% of the food donated by the food industry is fresh or frozen foods. During the Fall/Holiday Food Drive we invite individuals and groups to donate frozen turkeys. One of our refrigerated trucks can be reserved to park at an employer’s site to collect frozen turkeys from employees and customers.

Do you collect food from restaurants (banquets, hotels, weddings)? Yes. The Food Bank currently rescues food from Red Lobster and Olive Garden restaurants and from Albertsons’ delis and meat counters.

Do you take deer meat? If it is commercially processed.

Does Tarrant Area Food Bank accept turkey gift certificates/Tom Thumb Community Bucks/etc.? Yes!

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DELIVERY OF FOOD DRIVE /INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS

Will the Food Bank pick up our donations?

Tarrant Area Food Bank can only pick up donations of 750 pounds or more . During the week, the Food Bank’s drivers and trucks are busy picking up commercial food donations. During November and December when many of the largest food drives are held, the Food Bank depends on volunteer drivers with trucks from commercial distributors and trucking companies to pick up the larger donations from school districts and corporations.

Are they any other places in the community where I can drop my donations?

In Tarrant County during November and December, individuals, families and smaller food drive groups can drop off their donations at their neighborhood fire stations. Volunteer truckers or the Food Bank pick up these collections from the fire stations. The rest of the year food donations need to be dropped off at Tarrant Area Food Bank.

When can I deliver my food donations? (What time of day?)

The Food Bank can receive smaller donations in its lobby during the following times: Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Larger food donations that need to be unloaded directly into the warehouse can be delivered Monday through Thursday, 8: a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Where are you located?

At 2600 Cullen Street, Fort Worth, 76107 in a business park just northwest of downtown. The business park is off a section of White Settlement Road that runs east and west between Henderson Street and University Avenue.

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FOOD HANDLING AT TARRANT AREA FOOD BANK

How much food do you distribute?

More than one million pounds per month, or 15 to 16 million pounds per year. That’s enough food to fill 375 or more 18-wheeler trailer trucks to capacity (40,000 pounds per trailer). 15 million pounds is also enough food for about 12 million meals.

How does Tarrant Area Food Bank make sure the food it distributes is safe to eat?

Much of the food received from food companies is in unopened cases and shrink-wrapped in stacks on pallets. That food does not have to be inspected before it is distributed.

Food from food drives and salvage from grocery retailers goes through Quality Control in our warehouse. There, volunteers like you and me, sort, inspect and repack food. All volunteers are instructed on what to look for to determine if food in a can or box is still good or if it has been contaminated and must be discarded. Experienced Food Bank staff members supervise the volunteers.

If a food distributed by Tarrant Area Food Bank is recalled by the manufacturer, what does the Food Bank do?

Tarrant Area Food Bank follows the directions of the national organization to which it belongs, America’s Second Harvest—The Nation’s Food Bank Network. America ’s Second Harvest alerts all its member food banks and provides all the information Tarrant Area Food Bank needs to track down any of the recalled items that may be in its warehouse. If the Food Bank has distributed any of a recalled food to its Partner Agencies, the Food Bank will know it from its inventory tracking system. If Tarrant Area Food Bank has distributed the recalled item, staff immediately alert Partner Agencies so they can search their stores of food for it. If a Partner Agency has already distributed any of the recalled item, the agency can notify its clients.

What kind of inventory system does the Food Bank have for tracking food?

The Food Bank uses an accounting system that tracks items by donor and lot number. (The computer software is MAS 2000.)

How much does the Food Bank spend on freight costs to get food to its warehouse?

The Food Bank spends about $500,000 a year to transport food from donors to its warehouse. This expenditure includes payments for transportation provided by freight companies and the cost of the Food Bank’s own fleet of trucks, including salaries and benefits for three drivers. Of the $500,000, not quite half ($240,000 or so) goes to freight companies.

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ABOUT US: Who We Are | Our Affiliations | Our History | Board of Directors | Fast Facts | Frequently Asked Questions

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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