
          Atlanta Community Food Bank
                  By StaffStaff
          Vol. 2, No. 4, 1980, pp. 22
          
          Every year 20 percent of the food in America is thrown away for
such reasons as improperly labeled items, undersized or oversized
products and partially opened cases. In the Atlanta metropolitan area
the problem of hunger and food waste is being addressed by the Atlanta
Community Food Bank. A private, nonprofit corporation, the food bank
bridges the gap between the hungry and salvageable foods.
          The idea for the Atlanta Food Bank was first conceived by Bill
Boiling, director of Street Ministries at St. Luke's Episcopal Church
in Atlanta. Boiling was concerned with the problem of hunger and,
after visiting the St. Mary's Food Bank in Phoenix, Arizona, decided a
food bank was a good way to approach the problem. The food bank is a
coordinated effort of businesses, religious and civil organizations
and lots of volunteers. It salvages goods from local retailers,
commercial establishments, grocers, packing houses and food
wholesalers and redistributes them to non-profit agencies which serve
hungry people in the community.
          Several things are needed to maintain a food bank: a warehouse to
store food; refrigeration units; donors of salvageable foods; and
non-profit helping organizations willing to buy food from the food
bank. The food bank contracts with food suppliers to pick up goods on
a regular basis. Participating agencies come to the food bank
warehouse and buy food on a

regular basis, thus saving the agencies
time, money, and energy.
          The Atlanta Community Food Bank asks for a five-cent-per-pound
share contribution from participating agencies to help the food bank
with operating costs. The agencies involved assume the responsibility
for preparing and serving the food to those in need as well as judging
the fitness of donated food for consumption, thereby freeing the donor
from any liability. At present over 15 agencies have chosen to
participate in the program.
          A food bank serves as a vehicle to bring together all sectors of
the community to work on a common problem. Businesses are needed to
donate food and operating equipment, such as trucks and refrigeration
units. An incentive for businesses is a tax write-off which allows a
company that donates to agencies serving the poor to write off all
costs in production and handling plus half the appreciated value of
the item. Volunteers are needed to pick up food from companies,
identify helping agencies, and do administrative tasks. Religious and
civic organizations can also contribute by donating time or money, and
by publicizing the Food Bank itself.
          Boiling has plans for the Atlanta Community Food Bank which would
increase its ability to serve hungry people. Because of Atlanta's
proximity to agricultural resources and its commercial position in the
southeast, he feels it would be a prime location for large-scale
collection of salvageable food. Food distribution centers in rural
areas could be established with increased food bank resources, thereby
bringing hunger relief to greater numbers of those in need.
          Anyone interested in learning more about the Atlanta Community Food
Bank or about how to set up a food bank can contact Bill Boiling or
Harriette Brown at (404) 873-5427number no longer current or write to Community Food Bank, 435
Peachtree Street, N.E. Atlanta, Georgia 30308.
        