Improve Neighbor Access & Experience
Instead of calling people "clients" or "recipients," Feeding America uses this respectful term for the people we serve.
What is "Neighbor"?
These three main types of fresh, nutritious foods are the primary focus for increasing our distribution across the network.
What are produce, dairy, and protein?
This major federal program (formerly known as Food Stamps) is the nation's single most effective tool in fighting hunger.
What are SNAP?
Rather than prepared meals, these standardized food packages are designed for neighbors with specific chronic conditions who can still cook for themselves.
What are Medically Tailored Groceries (MTG)?
This free online platform connects businesses with surplus food directly to regional food banks and local pantries.
What is Meal Connect?
This core value means making sure neighbors are treated with respect, kindness, and non-judgmental support at every food site.
What is Dignity?
These dedicated facilities (14 across the network) process and repackage bulk protein donations into consumer-friendly portions.
What are protein pack rooms (or USDA clean rooms)?
Instead of just offering emergency food, Feeding America advocates for long-term policy changes that tackle these underlying factors like low wages and housing costs.
What are Root Causes of Hunger?
To solve transportation barriers for homebound neighbors receiving medically tailored foods, food banks utilize order-ahead models paired with this delivery partner.
What is DoorDash?
Feeding America provides critical data on food insecurity rates to guide local advocacy and strategic resource planning across the country through this research tool.
What is Map the Meal Gap?
To make getting food easier for people without cars, food banks use these vehicles to bring groceries directly into local communities.
What are mobile pantries?
By combining orders across many food banks, the network uses this strategy to buy everyday grocery staples at much lower prices.
What is collaborative purchasing (or purchasing power)?
This major federal program helps low-income pregnant women, mothers, and young children get nutritious food and health support.
What is WIC?
Freestore Foodbank allows patients identified as food insecure during medical visits to get food immediately by operating pantries inside these locations.
What are health systems (or clinics/hospitals)?
Designed to replace high-risk, outdated legacy systems across over half the network, this standardized, cloud-based platform effort aims to unify data across food banks.
What is the ERP modernization project?
This digital community led by Barbie Izquierdo offers training, power summits, and paid opportunities for neighbors to lead.
What is Elevating Voices?
These regional hubs help neighboring food banks share large surplus shipments (like full truckloads of fresh Florida oranges) with one another.
What are Regional Cooperatives?
This important piece of federal legislation sets national policy for farm programs and food assistance programs (passed roughly every 5 years).
What is the Farm Bill?
The strategic goal of connecting food access and health is to address these systemic drivers of long-term community wellness.
What are social determinants of health (SDOH)?
This intake tool shifts the network's data focus from tracking food movement to understanding recipient experiences and community demographics.
What is Service Insights on Meal Connect (SIMC)?
Sourcing food for diverse communities is an example of meeting this key neighbor priority.
What is culturally relevant (or preferred) food?
Feeding America often acts as a first responder during these unexpected emergencies to help deliver emergency food and supplies.
What are Natural Disasters?
This term describes the abrupt end of assistance when income increases slightly; 83% of neighbors prefer benefits to phase out gradually instead.
What is a benefit cliff?
The Business Model Grantees (BMG) group works to transition food-as-medicine initiatives away from temporary seed grants toward these permanent frameworks.
What are sustainable (or reimbursable) business models?
This upcoming interactive tool on FeedingAmerica.org aims to help neighbors easily view pantry hours, location details, preferred foods and eligibility.
What is Food Finder?