Provided here are the answers to many frequently asked questions about the Alabama Food Banks. If you can not locate the answer to your question on this page, please feel free to contact your local area Food Bank.

What is a food bank?

A food bank is a non-profit organization that distributes millions of pounds of donated food and grocery products to human services agencies. These agencies, in turn, provide food to hungry individuals and families. The Food Bank serves as a resource to agencies, saving them millions of dollars each year.

Why is it needed?

More than one of every five people in Alabama lives in poverty and has difficulty meeting basic nutritional needs. At the same time, enormous quantities of donated food are available from the food industry. The food bank serves as a clearinghouse, which receives and stores truckloads of food and then distributes it in manageable quantities to the programs that serve people in need.

Why is food donated?

Often the reason is overproduction or inventory control. Other reasons include packaging errors, changes in product formulas, expiring coupons, or approaching sell-by dates. Food also is donated by the public through community food drives. The food bank strictly adheres to Health Department guidelines assuring that all the distributed food is safe and wholesome.

How does the food bank help?

Hundreds of non-profit human service agencies receive food from the food banks. These include church pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, hospice programs, low-income day care centers and senior nutritional programs. Nearly 30 million pounds of food were distributed in 1999, saving agencies millions of dollars in food purchase costs.

Do the people who are hungry go to the food bank for food?

No, food comes into the food banks in truckload quantities and is distributed to member agencies. These agencies provide direct service to those in need.

How is the food bank funded?

Agencies pay some of the cost of operation in the form of handling fees or shared maintenance. Some food banks receive a very small amount of federal funding through the FEMA or USDA program. A large percentage of funds are received from donations by corporations, churches, foundations, civic groups, United Ways and individuals.

Is the food bank part of the federal, state or local government?

None of the above. Food banks are non-profit organizations, privately operated, under the umbrella of America's Second Harvest food bank network.