Helping the Food Bank helps your neighbors . . . not just at holiday time

November 8, 2016

By Gwen Guerke, Communications Coordinator 

During the holiday season, people frequently ask us at the Food Bank of Delaware, “How can I help?”

There’s more than one answer to that question, and we welcome your interest and your help. How would you like to help? Some people (or organizations) prefer to donate money, while others want to give of their time. Some can contribute both, and others want to do a food drive.

Obviously, financial contributions are more than welcome, and right now the Bank of America will match dollar-for-dollar through the Give a Meal Campaign. Click here to learn more about this opportunity and to donate. Be sure to include your Delaware zip code so your donation stays local!

If you want to volunteer your time at either our Milford or Newark locations, you can pick your shift and sign up online a www.fbd.volunteerhub.com. It’s easy, and by “you,” we mean not only you as an individual, but also your civic or faith-based group or friends. Children as young as 7 years old can lend a helping hand as long as they are accompanied by an adult.

Volunteer duties include, but are not limited to, sorting donated food items or packing meals for children or senior citizens.

As for donations of food: It goes without saying that since we are the Food Bank of Delaware, food is always welcome. We are about to start the Thanksgiving for All distributions, and a list of most need items can be found by clicking here! The holiday food drive continues through December 20!

Finally, we appreciate all the extra donations throughout the holiday season, but keep in mind that food insecurity is a problem 365 days a year. We distribute food through a network of 575 hunger-relief program partners statewide; they received more than 916,000 visits just last year.

We also operate several children’s nutrition programs and do outreach and education for Delaware residents enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and WIC (Women Infants and Children).

But we do more than distribute food. We operate two culinary schools as part of our work-force development program. The students learn entry level kitchen skills, financial literacy, and life skills, and complete a two-week paid internship prior to graduation.

So, if we’re asked “Can you use some help?” the answer is always a resounding “YES!” How would you like to help? Thanks for asking! Thanks for giving! Learn more at www.fbd.org.