Feeding Westchester

How Do Food Banks Actually Work? | Eater

"This regional bank mixes donated and purchased inventory to meet local need: "We bought the turkeys this year — they didn’t come from the USDA — but we sell them to the pantries for about 40 cents a pound," says Brad Kerner, vice president of community engagement and impact. The organization distributes roughly 20 to 25 million pounds of food to about 200 local pantries, schools, and churches each year; pantries order through an online system and the bank tailors operations to local needs. Its staff model includes caseworkers who connect people to SNAP and other services, three dieticians who design food packages for people with specific health conditions, and a mobile food truck that makes 60 monthly stops in neighborhoods in food deserts. Around the holidays operations expand dramatically, with truckloads of frozen turkeys, industrial freezers, and multiple deliveries required to meet demand." - Mike Diago