Before Covid, our local food bank had come along way.
For the longest time, folks using the food bank were given a box full of food based on the number of people in their home. Often, the food wasn't anything the person wanted/had heard of/knew how to prepare(this was before internet was something had by most)and a lot of stuff simply got tossed.
Realizing this wasn't the best way to do things, the local food bank changed into somewhat of a grocery store set up, with a person being granted the waivers to walk through the 'store' and pick up so many items out of each section(based on family size). This worked really well, and less food was wasted. It also gave them the ability to better store and offer produce, as they obtained refrigeration and freezers.
After Covid, things started sliding backwards. Though they still had the ability to better store foods, the boxes came again(they didn't want people in their 'stores'). And with the boxes, there is a lot of food going to waste.
A friend of ours uses the food bank. They seem to give him insane amounts of certain items(like 4 lbs of strawberries for a single man), but not anything that really goes together. (mushrooms and tortilla chips?) Its fine if one knows how to cook, but I find many people in the Midwest simply do not... My mother also uses the food bank too, sometimes. I get calls from both of them "want this? Can't use this. Will you eat this?" I'm sure they're not the only two that do this.
Actually, chances are, if you've ever donated lentils in the Midwest, they're in my cupboard, because I've actually had food bank users sneak them into my house after I have declined them(all vegetarians consume unlimited amounts of lentils seem to be the belief).
Do you have food banks locally? If so, how do they run? Have things changed during Covid?
