Food banks are changing their ways. To the extent that you’re familiar with food assistance programs, you may think of them as huge pantries full of boxes and cans made available to those in need.
That has been a valid image until recently, but the times they are a-changin’. Check out this article about how fresh fruits and vegetables are now being incorporated into emergency food assistance programs. Mike Moran, food resource manager of the Oregon Food Bank, recently explained that OFB’s network of 935 hunger-relief organizations distributed 40% more fresh food in 2010 than in 2009, and he expects that number to grow another 50% in 2011. Rotary First Harvest, Seattle, WA, operates Harvest Against Hunger, a program in which AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteers are placed at host sites across Washington state to work on gleaning programs, community gardens, and food recovery.
Producers – would you rather see your beautiful, nutritious bounty feed hungry people in your area rather than being plowed under? FoodHub makes it very easy for you to let food assistance professionals find you using the Emergency Food Assistance Badge.
If you are open to donating product, allowing gleaning, or growing a row dedicated to a food assistance program, simply add the EFA Badge to your FoodHub profile!
The badge lets food assistance professionals on FoodHub know that you’re open to working with them.
To add the badge to your profile, sign-in to FoodHub and click [My Profile] under [My FoodHub]. From your profile, click the blue [Edit] button in the About Us section and answer “yes” to the question “are you interested in donating food to the local food bank?”. Save the change by clicking [Save] and the badge will be added to your profile. If you’d care to specify the type of donations you’d like to make, the best times to contact you, or any other parameters, feel free to note that information in the How to Do Business With Us section of your profile.
Each week, approximately 5.7 million Americans use food banks, soup kitchens, government nutrition programs and other emergency food assistance providers to feed themselves. You can help those in your own community just by making yourself available on FoodHub!