Farms beef up support for Regional Food Bank
LATHAM, N.Y. >> Of the nearly 38 million pounds of food and groceries distributed annually by the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, only 12.5 percent is beef and seafood, which are major sources of protein.
The non-profit organization supplies more than 1,000 agencies such as Wilton Food Pantry, Shelters of Saratoga and Salvation Army of Troy in 23 counties, from Canada to the southern Hudson Valley. In addition to such emergency sites, food also goes residential, day care and senior centers plus a growing backpack program for kids in 107 area school districts.
“The Food Bank needs support year round,” spokesperson Joanne Dwyer said. “The need grows especially as we approach the holidays and winter time because people experience expanded heating costs and other things that take away from their household budget.
“Often, the first thing that impacts is their ability to purchase food.”
On Friday, area beef farmers toured the Food Bank’s large warehouse facility, in Latham, and met with its officials to see how they can support the agency’s efforts.
“We have a huge opportunity that people don’t know about,” said Phil Trowbridge, presidentelect of the New York Beef Producers Association, and owner of Trowbridge Farms in Ghent, Columbia County. “We have to do more education.
Dwyer is the Food Bank’s director of food industry relations. The largest source of food donations is distribution centers owned by supermarket firms such as Price Chopper and Hannaford Brothers. Goods might be dented or nearing their expiration date, but are still safe, useful and nutritious.
“All that comes back to the Food Bank,” she said. “Instead of throwing it away, we can give it to people who need it.”
This fulfills the organization’s twofold mission of preventing waste and alleviating hunger.
Donations also come from retailers, food manufacturers, restaurants, brokers and wholesalers such as Sysco and U.S. Foods.
In addition, depending on market conditions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture buys surplus commodities such as chicken, dairy and vegetables.
“If the market is flooded
they’ll put those items into food pantry-size packages,” Dwyer said. “That product comes to the states. In New York, it goes to the state’s 10 regional Food Banks, through the Office of General Services.”
And, as needed, the Food Bank purchases goods to complement items that are donated.
Fruits and vegetables comprise almost 32 percent of all the goods distributed by the Food Bank.
“There is always a need for meat donations,” Dwyer said.
Plans call for her to address the Beef Producers Association during its annual meeting in Syracuse on Jan. 18-19, and present ways that farmers can help a Food Bank in their area. Three possible ways were discussed.
This easiest option is a cash donation, which the Food Bank could use to purchase beef. Or, a farm may donate an animal, whose meat would go to the Food Bank as ground beef. Dwyer said the Food Bank would pay for the cost of processing.
However, an average sized animal would yield about 300 pounds of ground beef. Trowbridge said it would be better to sell the animal, which might fetch $1,500, and give this money to the Food Bank, which would be enough buy almost twice as much ground beef.
Sometimes, stores will match Food Bank purchases with donations.
In addition to helping the Food Bank, the farmer could dedicate meat from the processed animal to a farm-to-school program, so two different agencies would benefit.
Cows culled from dairy herds are also good source of fresh beef. A New York dairy industry All-Herds Convention is planned for the same weekend in Syracuse that Beef Producers are meeting.
Bonnie Bargstedt, of Envision Dairy in Amsterdam, suggested that Food Bank officials address this group, too.
“I’ve been here 23 years and I’m still blown away by the different things you see and hear, and also how people come together to help us do what we do,” Dwyer said.