The Foodbank obtains and distributes donations of highly nutritious food from the food industry and channels these products to charitable community organizations supporting low-income individuals.
Food Distribution
Key elements of the Foodbank of Southern California programs include the following:
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) U.S. Department of Agriculture
The Foodbank provides USDA surplus commodities (such as infant formula, flour, cornmeal, pinto beans, rice, milk, cheese, and butter) to help supplement the diets of low-income households, by providing them with emergency food and nutrition assistance at no cost.
Annually, The Foodbank channels over 21.5 million pounds of highly nutritious food from this program to hundreds of local charitable agencies completely free of charge. You may learn more about USDA commodities and recipes at TEFAP’s website.
The Brown Bag Network Program For Seniors
The Foodbank provides free nutritious food biweekly to feed over 2,500 low-income seniors at 22 volunteer staffed Brown Bag distribution sites and free weekly delivery to 72 low-income homebound/shut-in seniors in Los Angeles County. The program helps these individuals live as independent as possible.
The Foodbank operates one of the largest programs in the State and is unique in that there is no annual fee charged to recipients. This program is made possible through the commitment of dedicated volunteers who sort, bag, and distribute the food at the various sites.
Another Serving
The Foodbank links charitable organizations feeding meals to the hungry with local restaurants, caterers, other food preparers for distribution of safe “unsaleable” prepared food. Annually this program channels over 1.8 million pounds of donated food to local charitable agencies completely free of charge
Agency Donation Food Assistance Program
The Foodbank offers supplemental food assistance to hundreds of charitable organizations. The Foodbank distributes quality food at no charge and asks only for a modest voluntary contribution from the agencies to defray the cost of transportation of selected foods.
Retail Donation Referral Program
The Foodbank links charitable organizations feeding the hungry with local grocery stores, restaurants, and caterers for direct donations of safe “unsaleable” perishable products completely free of charge.