Some Basic Services Provided By A Food Bank

Have you noticed that of late a number of social-service organizations have been established throughout the US?

Since 1976 there has been a noticeable increase in the number of foodbanking corporations in almost all American states. This is mainly because of the fact that more people have started relying on these organizations for meeting their basic food requirements. If you conduct a market survey, you will get to understand that a large number of such agencies are found in Washington DC - this is simply because the state has a good percentage of individuals and families who heavily depend on the services of these food banks.

What is a food bank?

A 'food bank' can be conveniently defined as a charitable (non-profit) organization or community which is engaged in distributing food materials to a number of social-welfare agencies which in turn feed the hungry. The eatables that are distributed by food banks are basically donated by different categories of people and enterprises. After careful sorting of the donated food, these organizations distribute the eatables to around 100 to 1,000 government agencies or social-service communities. One of the main priorities of a food bank is alleviation of 'hunger'. Some of the most important services provided by these organizations are:

1. Distributing of high-quality nutritious eatables at affordable prices, so as to ensure an adequate flow of provisions through various community-based groups.

2. These organizations promote volunteer services in US neighborhoods and communities. This actually gives you a chance to fulfill the school-required community service hours.

3. The food banks have been assisting charitable community groups such as childcare centers, soup kitchens, shelters, churches, food pantries and even emergency shelters. These banks distribute goods such as fresh produce, bakery products, frozen foods, boxed dry groceries, and some non-food provisions to such non-profit organizations.

4. These associations indulge in promotion of health and wellness of local communities and neighborhoods. They have even introduced various social-welfare programs targeted towards community development and eradicating hunger.

5. Finally, these organizations provide a platform for building relationships/partnerships in the community. They share vital information with other social-service agencies and put forth a comprehensive effort towards strengthening of families.

While talking about the services of food banks we realize that SHARE (Self Help and Resource Exchange) has been a premiere organization in the field of community service. If you are interested to do something for your neighborhood, you can visit http://www.sharedc.org and know more about its volunteer programs.

I hope you like this article. For more information on food bank Baltimore, you can visit http://www.sharedc.org.