Question

What role would a foodbank board play in corporate partners recruitment?

Answer 1

Food banks in the United States play a pivotal role in closing gaps in food access to the nearly 42.2 million Americans who do not have reliable access to food. One common misconception about food banks is that they strictly distribute donated food to people experiencing food insecurity. While food banks do connect food insecure individuals to free emergency food (in collaboration with pantries and soup kitchens), they also purchase high volumes of food and coordinate a broader range of programs and activities to serve their target populations.

he role that food banks play in strengthening local and regional food systems, and presents vignettes of food banks serving as regional food system drivers. We define “local and regional food systems” to be the “place-specific clusters of agricultural producers of all kinds – farmers, ranchers, fishers – along with consumers and institutions engaged in producing, processing, distributing and selling foods”

food bank agencies play a vital role in supporting and sustaining vibrant local food systems, and can leverage their purchasing volumes to support regional food security and regional economies.