Benefits of Belonging to the Member Agency Network

• FreestoreFoodbank member agencies are the backbone of our mission, which is to provide "food, products and services to help people overcome barriers to their basic survival needs and further self-reliance." To that end, we strive to:
• Be a "one-stop-shop" for the nonprofit communities' food and non-food product needs. For an average Shared Maintenance Fee contribution of 12 cents per pound, agencies receive product worth $2.28 per pound the retail level.
• Provide a wide variety of items, including shelf-stable foods, fresh produce, frozen and refrigerated foods and beverages, cleaning supplies, health and hygiene items and commodities.
• Solicit and maintain relationships with 250 local and national donors on your behalf, such as Procter & Gamble, Kroger, Hillshire Farms/Sara Lee, Con Agra, Tropicana, Kellogg's, Pillsbury, Nestle and Kraft. Companies give to the Foodbank network because of our ability to respond to large donation offerings, and manage their transportation, receipting and inventory needs quickly and efficiently. Our motto is "One Call Takes It All."
• Protect donors from liability with the Good Samaritan laws, meet requirements for tax deduction purposes and protect their brand image, all of which motivate companies to donate unsaleable items rather then selling them on the secondary market.
• Transport, inspect and warehouse all food and non-food product with the highest standards. The Foodbank passes regular inspections from the Board of Health, America's Second Harvest, the USDA, and OSHA, with flying colors.
• Collect over 400,000 pounds of canned food drive donations per year (including the Letter Carriers Food Drive, the Yom Kippur Food Drive, the Bengals Food Drive, holiday food drives and others), as well as sort the food into over 30 useful categories for your benefit.
• Stock the Stop-N-Shop area of the warehouse with inventory to support smaller agencies and special needs. The Stop-N-Shop is open to all agencies, and no prior order or appointment is necessary to use it.
• Run innovative programs like the Health and Hygiene Program and the Rosenthal Fresh Food Initiative, to ensure that we are taking advantage of all possible product donation sources.
• Provide technical support, coaching and promote best practices (such as Choice Pantries and Food Stamp Outreach) though the Agency Services Department and the annual site visit.
• Provide training, education, information and resources to non-profit organizations through the Agencies Building Capacity Center.
• Solicit and award agency grants and distribute in-kind donations. We've distributed $200,000 worth of grants over the last 5 years.
• Advocate for the social service community and its clients on the local, state and national level.
• Organize an annual Hunger Walk, a fundraiser that benefits member agencies. The FreestoreFoodbank handles all of the logistics and costs for the event, and the member agency network receives all the funds raised to defray their food and product costs.  
• Provide a means of communication with the agency List Serve (freestorefoodbank_members@yahoogroups.com) and Fax-On-Demand system. We regularly fax and e-mail agencies with important information, events and fundraising opportunities.
• Lend our name and reputation in the community to the efforts of the member agency network. Collaboration is key with public and private foundations and governmental agencies. We are a forum for networking and collaboration in the social service community.