The amount of food that is donated to food shelves and on-site meal programs is not enough to feed everyone facing hunger. These agencies cannot afford to purchase quality food staples at retail prices, so Emergency Foodshelf Network (EFN) purchases rare or high-demand items through EFN at below retail prices.
Two Methods for Affordable Offerings
1.) EFN purchases food at or below retail price and offers the product to agencies for the same price—if a can of peaches was purchased for $.50, EFN would offer the can to agencies at $.50.
2.) EFN purchases items that are in high demand, and regardless of the price it pays, offers these items at a discount price—if a can of baby formula cost $10, EFN may offer it to its agencies for $7 per can.
Stable Resources in Unstable Times
EFN’s ability to purchase large amounts of food below retail prices gives network members a solid resource for securing hard-to-obtain items. Cans of corn and boxes of pasta (essentials to any well-rounded diet) are often donated during food drives, but these items alone are not enough to make a nutritious meal.
To ensure that the dietary needs of their clientele are met, food shelves look to EFN for help in purchasing specialty or high demand items to complement the food collected through food drives. These items include frozen chicken, eggs, hygiene products, rice, beans, stew, and pasta.
In 2010, EFN’s network of agencies saved over $431,870 through the Bulk-Purchasing Program.