Food banks are closing and losing their workforce because of the coronavirus

Food donations are down, which means food banks have to find alternate ways to procure the same stream of supply. They’ve turned to purchasing food themselves using larger portions of their budgets to make it happen. 

The Community Food Bank of New Jersey, the state’s largest, lost about 800,000 pounds of donated food in March and April, CEO Carlos Rodriguez told CNBC. To make up the difference, the New Jersey food bank started buying food, spending an additional $945,000 a month since March. 

Monetary donations are on the rise. Multiple food banks told CNBC that financial donations from corporate supporters and foundations have been more generous lately, and individual monetary donations have not stopped despite an nationwide economic slowdown. 

“I think it’s a testament to the generosity of the community,” Rodriguez said. “Those that can donate clearly are.”

Some food banks have found other revenue streams and opportunities that help make ends meet. 

The Capital Area Food Bank has formed partnerships with Bank of America and Mars, the candy company, each donating $500,000 to help with the organization’s efforts to provide food to the “newly food-insecure,” Muthiah said. 

The Central California Food Bank has partnered with a local tech company to facilitate delivery for home-bound individuals like seniors and people with disabilities, according to Caples.

Customers who can pick up their food are also on the receiving end of major changes. To minimize contact with food, volunteers and staff members at food banks across the United States have begun boxing produce and shelf-stable items like pasta, rice and canned foods. 

Before the pandemic, pantries and banks often distributed their food following what is called the “client choice model,” in which an individual can select from a wide variety of products. Typically, “it’s set up like a farmers market,” Muthiah said. “People would walk through, pick up what they like, linger a little bit, ask for a recipe card. All of that has come to an end to minimize exposures.“

Other food banks now follow a similar model. The Central Texas Food Bank has staff and remaining volunteers build emergency food boxes that hold about 28 pounds of food. Families and individuals drive down to a distribution site and open their car trunks, allowing a worker to place one of the boxes with food in it while avoiding all unnecessary contact.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/28/coronavirus-food-banks-are-closing-and-losing-their-workforce.html