Agencies are charged a "shared maintenance fee" for some of the items they order. Some items, such as produce, bread, yogurt are distributed to member agencies for free. Other nonperishable food items cost up to 9 cents per pound. This shared maintenance fee covers some, but not all, of the costs associated with food solicitation, repackaging and distribution. We must recoup the additional expenses through our fundraising efforts.
As an example, a member agency can get a box of cereal at the Food Bank for about 9 cents. If agencies were to purchase a box of cereal at a supermarket, they could pay $3.50 or more for the same item.
No fee is ever charged to hungry families.
