Key Definitions

Here we have provided some common terms associated with the Food Bank and their definitions.

Agency: The charitable organization that provides the food supplied by the food bank or food-rescue organization directly to clients in need, through various types of programs.

Food Bank: a charitable organization that solicits, receives, inventories and distributes donated food and grocery products pursuant to industry and appropriate regulatory standards. The products are distributed to charitable human-service agencies, which provide the products directly to clients through various programs.

Food Security: Is access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food security includes at a minimum: the ready availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, and an assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.

Food Insecurity: USDA's measure of lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all households members; limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods or an uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.

Pantry (Food Pantry, Food Shelf): A charitable distribution agency that provides clients food and grocery products for home preparation and consumption.

Kitchen (Soup Kitchen, Community Dining Room): A charitable program whose primary purpose is to provide prepared meals, served in the kitchen, to clients in need.

Emergency Food Assistance: Charitable feeding programs whose services are provided to clients who are typically in short-term need of emergency assistance. Emergency food programs include food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters.

Non-Emergency Food Assistance: Charitable feeding programs that have a primary purpose other than emergency food distribution, but also distribute food. Non-emergency food programs include afterschool meals to low-income children, senior congregate meal programs, child day care programs, Kids Cafe and BackPack programs.

Very Low Food Security: An involuntary state that results in eating patterns of one or more household members being disrupted and food intake reduced because the household could not afford enough food.

• Statistics- 17,000 donors support the Food Bank: Corporations, small businesses, churches and individuals.
• 85.3% of all donations received go directly to feeding the hungry. Only 7.6% is administrative support, and 7.1% goes towards fundraising.
• More than 3.5 million pounds of food per year are distributed to agencies serving those in need.
• We supply the food to more than 100 agencies who serve the poor, children, elderly or people in crisis.
• Almost 60% of those we serve are children or senior citizens.
• We currently have four programs: Kid's Cafe, Mobile Pantry, Community Cupboard and a BackPack program.
• According to the Hunger in America 2010 study 18.5% of our clients are currently employed.
• 33.6% of client households are run by a single parent.
• 42.7% of clients have a high school diploma.
• 4.5% of our clients lost their job within three months prior to the survey. 20.2% of clients have been out of work for 1-2 years. 82.4% of clients are currently unemployed.
• 49.9% of clients had a yearly income of $10,000 or less.
• 52.4% of our clients also receive SNAP benefits (formerly known as Food Stamps).
• 56.1% of clients use the school lunch program.
• 51.8% of clients use the school breakfast program.
• 98% of our clients are U.S. citizens.
• 8% of our clients are on welfare.
• 64% of client households have incomes at or below the federal poverty level.
• The agencies we serve are monitored to assure that they are meeting the guidelines set by Feeding America, the Food industry and state & federal governments. Food Bank of Northwest Indiana also provides agencies with technical support and information to help them in their efforts to reduce hunger.