What is a food bank?
The Food Banks (BdA) are non-profit organizations that contribute to reducing hunger, malnutrition and food waste in the country, rescuing in a traceable and safe way, food suitable for human consumption before it is discarded.
The rescued food is stored, classified, and distributed among community aid entities: soup kitchens, children's and nursing homes, community centers, and school support centers, among others.
In this way, a social value is given to those foods that have lost their commercial value, avoiding their waste and making it reach the people who need it most.
We recover food through donations from companies in the food industry or collections, fruit and vegetable recovery programs, supermarket shrinkage rescue, collections and campaigns, among other actions.
Food Banks also work to educate about the nature of hunger and its possible solutions as well as the importance of healthy nutrition for human growth and development. We spread the spirit of solidarity and spread human values through coordinated work between the different social actors, in order to join and coordinate efforts to fulfill their mission.
How does a Food Bank work?
Before a donation we carry out a strict control in the reception, classification, storage and delivery of food, guaranteeing its safety. For this reason, we are certified by the IRAM NM 324:2010 Good Manufacturing Practices (BPM) standards.
The distribution is made among the organizations that are part of our network and depending on the number of people, the type of food service (breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner) and the days that provide this service.
At the time of removing the merchandise, they collaborate with a symbolic contribution for each kilo of food, in order to promote a solidarity system based on commitment and mutual trust.
We do not deliver food to individuals; only to organizations with legal status and whose recipients are children in the first instance.
As these are products suitable for consumption, we do not accept expired or damaged merchandise. After delivery to social organizations, we make a distribution report to the donor, in which we specify the destination of the products in a timely manner.
On the other hand, we maintain a fluid relationship with the receiving entities. We provide training on issues related to food handling, canning, nutrition, health and prevention measures. We visit them periodically to learn about their daily operation, strengthen links and detect other shortcomings in the environment.
Our history
The first steps of the Mendoza Food Bank Foundation are linked to the socio-political context that the country was going through in December 2001. Community centers, soup kitchens and other social organizations were overwhelmed due to the situation that was unfolding. In addition to the deterioration of the economy, there was a specific fact that worsened the situation: the provincial food plans had not reached the kitchens for 3 months.
This sense of collective emergency mobilized a group of businessmen, who, through the strength of each of their companies, felt the need to support the community and the right to food for children.
A great bond of trust was then generated, with a well-managed and participatory enterprise, made up of an advisory council, made up of leaders from social organizations, and a steering committee that outlined the steps of the project.
On April 10, 2002, the Mendoza Food Bank Foundation was officially created. In it, a logistical solution was glimpsed between the food that is discarded -when it could be consumed-, and the people at nutritional risk. It was not a mere distribution of groceries but a complementary link between two different worlds: companies and the most needy people.
The problem
Currently, the fight against hunger presents us with multiple challenges. We are aware that food banks are not the only solution to this problem, we know that the solutions are complex and that they imply taking into account aspects such as poverty, childhood, education, nutrition, health, to name just a few.
However, food banks represent a unique coalition of three sectors of society: the public sector (government at all levels), the private sector (the business community, including the food industry and the media), and the organizations sector. This coalition is taking place in a context that promotes serious dialogue and action to address the needs of hungry people.
Through the joint work of these three sectors, it is possible to set aside individual interests and guide actions with the unified focus of alleviating hunger for those who suffer from it in each community.
The destination of food
We work together with 80 community entities that cover the food needs of populations at nutritional risk. Most of them are community kitchens, kindergartens, child and family development centers, little homes, school support centers.
We prioritize those organizations that direct their activities towards the integral development of the person, and through them, we have a reach of more than 37,000 people receiving food.
According to the type of organization, in general, they cover food benefits for breakfast, lunch, snack, and to a lesser extent, dinner. However, we also find entities that favor the delivery of food or bags of merchandise, either because they do not have the physical space to function as a dining room, or to promote the habit of eating as a family.
Faced with a food donation, we distribute it based on the characteristics of the organization: number of children who attend, the type of food service (breakfast, lunch, snack, lunch box, bag) and the number of days that this service is provided.