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The need for food charities has always been with us but in the last few years the need has grown incrementally. Some groups within society have always been vulnerable to hunger but there have be more people in this category lately because of the down economy. These groups can take many forms. Some are associated with large, nationally known groups and organizations. Others may be very small, local groups that are operated as part of a church group or school program. There are some groups that assist seniors while others act as soup kitchens to feed the homeless. While these types of groups are ones that are easily recognized by most people, most will not think about systems that provide disaster relief feeding programs. Food charities in America sometimes start out as a small, grassroots attempt to solve a local problem. These groups sometimes have a very small budget to work with or often no real budget at all. Gradually they are able to gain community support but it can be important to maximize the effect of each dollar that they take in. This can mean having food drives or asking for other donations of prepackaged foods from the community in addition to the cash donations. As time goes by, these groups often learn more about maximizing their funds by purchasing food from discounted sources instead of having to rely on grocery stores or the other traditional food vendors that most people are used to dealing with. These groups can sometimes arrange for donations from food processing companies or stores if one is near their location or possibly within driving distance. There may be one day a week that a bakery donates “day old” bread or other baked goods. This type of food is still perfectly fine to eat but has a shorter shelf life than canned goods or dried foods. Sometimes there are options for products that are mislabeled or dented in the case of canned goods. However, not every group has access to a nearby food-processing outlet and some groups do not have manpower or other resources needed to obtain these products even if these are offered free. Food charities for kids often provide nutritional assistance for families at risk. These are often found in rural areas where there are migrant workers as well as inner city areas that have high unemployment among the adult population. These groups sometimes provide a backpack for school children to take home on weekends that contains food or there may be regular donation days where families with children can obtain food. Many of these groups may find that working with specific vendors will help them to get the most benefit from their dollars. Some vendors have programs in place to obtain the best discounts from food processing plants. This often allows large size products to be obtained or items that cannot be sold retail due to labeling issues. Because these vendors have many connections to companies within the food industry, they can often provide almost any type of product needed. Many food charities have found that this is the best way to feed their clients. For more information about food charities, please visit our website.
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food charities, Food charities in America, Food charities for kids,
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