Food Access for All – A Glossary of Food Banking Terms

by TERRY VANDEWATER.

Making healthy, nutritious food accessible for everyone takes more than a village; it takes formal and informal supply chains to feed our friends and neighbors. The journey to get food on the table of those who need it varies, and there are many involved who make it possible. From local food banks and food pantries to school meal programs and SNAP benefits at farmers’ markets, the quest to end hunger in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts takes many forms. Below is a glossary that gives an overview of how these much-needed supply chains function.

Feeding America^® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. It is part of a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries, and meal programs, providing 5.2 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Food Access, Food Rescue, Disaster Response, and Hunger Research are the organization’s four pillars. (1)

Food Banks are nonprofit organizations that store and provide, collectively, millions of pounds of food to agencies such as food pantries, mobile markets, soup kitchens, and other meal programs. Food is typically sourced from the food industry, food retailers, restaurants, local neighbors, and farmers.

The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) is New England’s largest food bank, serving Plymouth and Bristol counties, as well as seven other counties in Eastern Massachusetts. In addition to being a food resource, the organization also acts as an advocate, initiating and supporting local and government programs to feed the hungry. Their partnerships with health care providers and other entities lead to important research and studies about food access and food insecurity across the region. Subsequently this information is used to create/retool new and existing programs, spread awareness, and ultimately put more meals on the table.

One of GBFB’s partners is eSEMA friend and contributor Louisa Kasdon who hosts the podcast Let’s Talk About Food. The program opens up conversations that educate listeners about hunger and its effects on all ages. GBFB also awards Community Investment Grants that provide up to $40,000 annually to qualified food pantries and programs that apply for the grants. In 2023 and 2024 a total of $1.89 million dollars was awarded to 38 and 45 recipients respectively.

Food Pantries are grassroots community-led distribution organizations where hungry individuals and families can receive food. They get their food from food banks, choosing the items and quantities their clients want. Food pantries also accept donations of fresh produce and other perishable items from local farms and farmers’ markets who do not want their products to go to waste, especially when there are mouths to feed.

Mobile Markets are often subsidized or free grocery/fresh produce pop-up markets that bring high-quality, nutritious food directly into under-served communities, often focusing on specific low-income populations like seniors, veterans, community health center patients, students, or those living in food deserts. (2)

Soup Kitchens provide nutritious cooked meals for those in need at places of worship and community centers. Depending on location and facility, meals may be served on specific days and times. They also receive perishable items from farmers in their respective communities whenever possible.

Project Bread connects people and communities in Massachusetts to reliable sources of food while advocating for policies that make food more accessible—so that no one goes hungry. They are committed to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice, making sure that people in Massachusetts can afford enough to eat because hunger is an injustice. Project Bread works on building a system based on equity so that everyone gets what they need to thrive. (3)

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federal nutrition program that provides food assistance through an electronic card (EBT card) that can be used at supermarkets, convenience stores, and some farmers’ markets—and even some online retailers. (2)

Massachusetts Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) puts money back on EBT cards when households use SNAP to buy healthy, local fruits and vegetables from HIP farm vendors—up to a monthly cap of $40, $60, or $80 depending on family size. (2)

The Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP) enables the Food Bank Coalition of Massachusetts, including GBFB, to purchase a consistent supply of the basics of a healthy diet, such as milk, eggs, peanut butter, fresh fruits, and vegetables, to be distributed at no cost to families in need through its statewide network of 850 community food program partners. MEFAP feeds people in all 351 cities and towns in MA. (2)

Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) is a federal program designed to help low-income seniors access healthy food provided by USDA. (2)

Women, Infants & Children (WIC) helps women, infants, and children afford healthy foods and baby supplies. Many states provide WIC participants vouchers to purchase food and baby supplies at participating stores. (1)

Where to find help:

The Greater Boston Food Bank
www.gbfb.org/need-food/

Project Bread Hot Line Number
1-800-645-8333

SNAP Benefits
https://www.mass.gov/snap-benefits-formerly-food-stamps

How to help:

Both GBFB and Project Bread accept financial donations with GBFB offering volunteer opportunities such as packing food in its warehouse to be distributed to food pantries. GBFB also holds various events through the year like Taste of the Food Bank with famed chefs Jody Adams and Steve DiFillippo and the WCVB Day of Giving Telethon that supports GBFB’s mission of End Hunger Here. Both events are held in September. www.gbfb.org/get-involved/events/.

Project Bread annually holds its flagship event, the Walk for Hunger, the first Sunday every May. You can raise money and walk or support the walkers by sponsoring them. The fundraising portion of the event lasts throughout the summer with a goal of raising $1 million dollars towards the fight against hunger. www.projectbread.org/walk-for-hunger/about/fundraising-resources

Closer to home, local food pantries and soup kitchens are always looking for a helping hand whether donating products, holding a food drive in your community that benefits them, and/or volunteering on-site.

Ending hunger takes all of us working together to help our neighbors and communities. That help can come from volunteering, advocating for food justice, and educating and raising awareness of food insecurity throughout the state and in our own back yard.

Sources:

(1) Feeding America

(2) The Greater Boston Food Bank

(3) Project Bread

Terry Vandewater had her eyes opened working in the supermarket industry and being introduced to food banking. She once made a decimal mistake on a turkey donations figure thus increasing the number of turkeys donated to over 5,000. It’s the best mistake she ever made.