The Food Bank is committed to ensuring that families accessing the emergency food network receive nutritious, balanced food. Partner pantries are required to follow a three-day minimum package guideline aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPlate recommendations. These guidelines recommend that 50% of each package consist of fruits and vegetables, 25–33% consist of grains (with at least half being whole grains), and the remainder include protein-rich foods such as dairy, meat, or legumes. This approach promotes health and well-being while providing consistent support across our network.
To make sure food is distributed in a fair and respectful way, the Food Bank also requires all partner pantries to offer a form of client choice. This model allows neighbors to select the foods they know their families will eat and enjoy, while avoiding items they may already have or cannot use due to dietary or personal needs. By giving people the dignity of choice, pantries empower families to create well-balanced meals that best fit their lives.
English
| Three-Day Food Package Guide with Client Choice List | Download |
| Five-Day Food Package Guide with Client Choice List | Download |
| HPNAP Pantry Package Guidelines | December 2024 | View |
Spanish
| Three-Day Food Package Guide with Client Choice List | Download |
| Five-Day Food Package Guide with Client Choice List | Download |
Stay informed and engaged with our advocacy initiatives by signing up for our partners-only Advocacy Newsletter. This resource shares timely updates, action alerts, and opportunities to support policies that strengthen state and federal hunger-relief programs. You can also visit our full Government Relations page to explore our policy priorities, program overviews, and additional advocacy tools designed to help partners and community members raise their voice and create change.
Also known as “Food Rescue”, our Retail Partnership Program (RPP) recovers safe, nutritious food donated by grocery and retail partners for distribution through our network of agencies. Thanks to protections under the Food Donation Act of 1996, stores can donate unsold-but-still-fresh items such as produce, dairy, meat, and bread instead of sending them to waste.
Currently, more than 140 retail partners donate regularly to the Food Bank. In the last fiscal year, our Retail Partnership Program rescued more than 6.1 million pounds of food from the waste stream, providing fresh and healthy items for children, families, and seniors. Food Bank trucks collect donations daily, keeping food local and ensuring perishable items neighbors across our service area efficiently. Plus, we can help your organization work directly with retail partners to keep healthy food items right in your community.
