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Possible Help for Food Banks


The slow economy has put pressure on food banks to serve more people with the same or fewer resources. Now, the level of EBT benefits has been cut, so people who often struggled to make it through the month now have less food. More of those people will run out of money and food before the end of the month, and will turn to their local food bank for help. Will there be enough food for all when the time comes? No, in many cases the shelves will be bare.

How can food banks meet increasing demands for food?

This question has two dimensions: the immediate need for more food and the long-term challenge of securing reliable access to more food from donors. One hopes the long-term need doesn’t materialize, but realism requires being prepared.  

The immediate need for additional food donations can be handled in several ways. If you run a food bank or just volunteer regularly, then you probably know what the options are: appealing to current donors, approaching new donors, using emergency cash or credit to buy some food.

Do you have cash reserves or a credit line to tap in emergencies? Well, generating extra cash for November might seem unrealistic, but isn’t. Could you get a business credit card and use that to buy some food. Apply today and, if you can get a card, you could have it in two weeks. In the meantime call some wholesalers and warehouse clubs to see what sort of deal you can get.
What about measures for long-term food supplies? There will be ongoing demand and periodic crises. Several strategies are available to you. I’ll come back to the really creative later. First, let’s recap some of the regular options:
1. What new business and nonprofit partnerships might make sense? Don't focus on food. Could you also get help with operating costs, or rent? Cut costs one place, get more done elsewhere.
2. If you have resources to share, could some sort of bartering arrangement be worked out?
3. Could you start a business venture to generate some extra revenue each month?
4. Could you partner with farms or ranches in the region to grow some food? What about CSAs and community gardens?
Of course I can’t offer specifics here, but I think you can figure out the sorts of business ventures or partnership arrangements are realistic for your specific situation.
Now, or when the latest food crisis passes, it might be useful to think about a whole new approach to your food bank and its business model.  I’ll address that option and offer some creative planning tips in my next post or two.

 
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