What is the San Antonio Food Bank?
The San Antonio Food Bank (SAFB) is a non-profit organization that serves as a clearinghouse by receiving and storing truckloads of donated food, produce, and other grocery products. SAFB distributes these items in manageable quantities to approximately 400 service agencies that help people in need.Why is it needed?
Nearly one out of every four children and one out of every five adults in the State of Texas lives in poverty and has difficulty meeting basic nutritional needs. Sixty-five percent of the people requesting emergency food have children. Senior citizens and those living on a fixed income often have limited funds for a consistent grocery budget. Meanwhile, enormous quantities of surplus food are available from the food industry, food manufacturers, and farmers.
Why is food donated? Who donates it?
Most of the food comes from the major brands of the food industry. Often, the reason is overproduction or inventory control. Other reasons include packaging errors, changes in product formulas, the expiration of coupons or approaching sell-by dates. The United States Department of Agriculture donates commodities, while Texas farmers supply fresh produce through the SAFB’s Fresh Produce Program. The public, through numerous community food drives, also donates food to the SAFB.
How does the San Antonio Food Bank confront hunger and food insecurity in our community?
In FY 2005, the SAFB received more than 27 million pounds of food, produce, and grocery products. These products are distributed to 380 human service agencies that help southwest Texans in 16 counties. By partnering with SAFB, these agencies save more than $40.5 million in food purchase costs. These values represent almost 1.8 million meals per month going to 40,000 poor and hungry families in the San Antonio area. In the coming year, additional partner agencies will be eligible to receive SAFB products.
Do people who are hungry go to SAFB for food?
No. Our partner agencies – including soup kitchens, church food pantries, neighborhood centers, rehabilitation facilities, family crisis shelters, hospice programs, orphanages, and low-income daycare facilities – provide SAFB food and grocery products to their clients. Partner agencies report that 20 to 100 percent of their food comes from the San Antonio Food Bank. Through our network of partner agencies, the SAFB served 21,300,000 meals to poor and hungry individuals and families this year.
How is the Food Bank funded?
Donations are received from local businesses, churches, foundations, corporations, government, civic groups and individuals. When you make a donation toward SAFB operating funds, your gift is used to acquire and distribute donated food, including the operation of our warehouse; utilities to run our huge freezers and coolers; and fuel and maintenance for our refrigerated trucks. A donation to the SAFB will ensure the stability of the Food Bank for years to come, at a time when the economy might not be strong and when the need for services is more in demand than ever before.
Remember, Saturday, August 1st is #twitterforfood day - skip a meal and use the savings to fund local and global hunger.
Simply,
Tim
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