The Business of Food Banking

• Increased Food Costs: The Food Bank sources food from USDA overstock commodities, the Feeding America national network of food banks, and the wholesale market. Ballooning food prices have led to a $132,000 increase in costs, $1.7M in products we were unable to receive due to unavailability, and significant cancellation of donated products we rely on for our youth programs.
• Increased Fuel Costs: Our trucks travel 125,000 miles per year, bringing food to pantries in our six-county service area. Record-high inflation is causing pain at the pump for those struggling to afford food—and for the Food Bank’s delivery fleet, leading to a $13,596 rise in delivery expenses.
• Increased Need: The COVID-19 crisis led to dramatic increases in Food Bank utilization. Government relief programs, such as expanded SNAP benefits and the Child Tax Credit, have now ended, creating an expected 15% elevated need for food support in our area.
• Decreased Staffing: Nationwide shortages of CDL drivers, the NY State childcare shortage, and pandemic work stoppages are contributing to massive supply chain disruptions impacting our ability to affordably source and deliver food products. To retain our warehouse staff and remain competitive, we have raised wages, leading to an additional operations cost of $38,000.

While the Food Bank is a part of Catholic Charities, we are an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, with tax ID # 20-8808059.