For nearly all businesses or organizations, budgets and resources are tight. But when it comes to foodshelves and hunger relief programs, they have the added worry of being dependent on community donations to support their important work.
Foodshelves often have small operating budgets. The Emergency Foodshelf Network (EFN) views its role as a food bank to support its members whenever possible and lessen any financial burdens they may be experiencing.
As a result, EFN has always been one of the only food banks in the country that does not charge hunger relief programs a fee to receive food donated by the community. Simply put, when a person makes a donation of food to EFN (through a walk-in donation, a food & cash drive, corporate donations, etc.) we make that food available to hunger relief programs without assessing additional fees on them to access it.
The impact and benefit to foodshelves is incredible: In 2006, EFN distributed over $2,700,000 million dollars worth of free food to its networking agencies at no charge. Individual agencies’ needs vary depending on location, but the average site receives one tote, about 800 pounds of food or roughly 50 grocery bags (the average grocery bag is about 15 pounds), of free food per month.
EFN distributed 750,000 pounds of food at no charge last year, saving agencies $1,900,000.
The Emergency Foodshelf Network prides itself on being “Minnesota’s Free Food Bank” and understands the importance of continuing this tradition. It is our hope that any money that foodshelves save as a result of not paying for food donated by the community is money that could be spent elsewhere (such as vital staffing needs, opportunities to purchase hard-to-get food staples in bulk quantities, etc.)