We offer additional options for our Child Nutrition Agency Partners to receive food from the Food Bank because sometimes the federal child nutrition programs can’t meet all of our kids’ needs.
BackPack
Fridays can cause anxiety for some kids because they know that they won’t have enough food to eat at home over the weekend. BackPack programs provide shelf-stable, single-serve items to kids on Fridays so that they have enough food to eat over the weekend or during breaks from school. Food is typically packed into bags then discreetly put into the backpacks of kids by teachers or program staff, so that kids who receive bags don’t feel singled out.
On-Sites
We partner with daycares, Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sponsors and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) sponsors that serve meals to kids directly through our On-Site option. For these types of programs, providers that serve a high population of kids in need can access the Food Bank’s inventory of affordable dry, fresh and frozen items to prepare meals for kids.
School Pantry
Want to start a free farmer’s market for your school? How about hosting a drive-up distribution for your school community? Interested in opening a free store for kids to “shop” for food and toiletries that they can take home? These are just some of the ways we can partner with schools and youth-serving organizations to open a School Pantry.
Interested in partnering with us? Follow the steps below!
1. If you’re in Allegheny County or applying to be an On-site, ensure that your facility has a health department certificate. If not, contact your local health department to apply for one. If you are located outside of Allegheny County or in a school building, you can move to step two!
2. Set your budget. Partners will be able to access some free and donated items from our inventory, and we provide small grants to help you get started. However, we expect you to have a budget in place to sustainably run your program. BackPacks tend to cost around $5 per student per backpack, and we can share our current inventory for you to price out options for your On-site or School Pantry program.
3. Time to apply! Complete this form and we’ll verify your eligibility. We onboard new programs in the fall (onboarding happens August – October) or the winter (onboarding happens January – February).
For questions about Child Nutrition Agency Program options, email us at [email protected].