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Sources of Food Distributed By Programs (13.1)

The survey asked how much of the food distributed through the emergency food programs comes from food banks, versus other sources.  In particular, agencies were asked to state the percentage of food received from each of the sources shown in Table 13.1.1.

Table 13.1.1
SOURCES OF FOOD DISTRIBUTED BY PROGRAMS

Sources of Food	Pantry Programs	Kitchen Programs	Shelter Programs
Average percentage of food received from food bank(s)	74.2%	49.0%	41.5%
Percentage of programs receiving food from a:
TEFAP or CSFP	68.7%	49.4%	45.9%
Church or religious congregations	76.2%	58.7%	56.2%
Local merchant or farmer donations	40.8%	45.8%	45.0%
Local food drives (e.g., Boy Scouts)	49.9%	27.2%	40.3%
Food purchased by agency	53.9%	74.9%	81.4%
Other b	22.4%	19.3%	24.6%
SAMPLE SIZE (N)	18,436	4,514	2,704

Source:        
This table was constructed based on usable responses to questions 8, 8a, and 8b of the agency survey .

Notes:     
The percentages presented in this table are based only on usable responses, excluding missing, don’t know, and refusal responses.  All usable responses were weighted as described in Chapter 3 and in the Technical Appendix volume to represent all emergency food programs of the A2H National Network.  The sample sizes (N) also include missing data.

For average percentage of food received from food bank, missing, don’t know, and refusal responses combined are 5.2% for pantry programs, 9.9% for kitchen programs, and 13.4% for shelter programs.

For percentage of programs that distribute government or USDA commodities (TEFAP or CSFP) received from food bank(s) or a state agency, missing, don’t know, and refusal responses combined are 11.4% for pantry programs, 18.5% for kitchen programs, and 21.8% for shelter programs.

For percentage of food from the other listed sources, missing, don’t know, and refusal responses combined are 15.9% for pantry programs, 13.7% for kitchen programs, and 13.9% for shelter programs.

a Multiple responses were accepted.

b This includes individual donations, organization gardens, and donations from other volunteer or civic groups.

Food banks are a major source of food.  74.2% of the food the pantries distribute, 49.0% of the food the kitchens serve, and 41.5% of the food the shelters serve are provided by their food banks.  Programs also receive food from other sources:

• 68.7% of pantries, 49.4% of kitchens, and 45.9% of shelters receive food from federal food or commodity programs, such as TEFAP or CSFP.
• 76.2% of pantries, 58.7% of  kitchens, and 56.2% of shelters receive food from churches or religious congregations.
• 40.8% of pantries, 45.8% of kitchens, and 45.0% of shelters receive food from local merchants or farmer donations.
• 49.9% of pantries, 27.2% of kitchens, and 40.3% of shelters receive food from local food drives.