In 2024, GFN-member food banks reached more than 38 million people facing food insecurity — but their role actually extends far beyond the important work of serving food.
Food banks serve as a nucleus of community activity. They contribute to relief and recovery efforts, and they boost community well-being, specifically in the areas of education, health, job training, and economic mobility and potential.
According to new data from The Global FoodBanking Network, food banks provide a social return on investment of $4 to $7 for every dollar invested. The data comes from GFN members in four countries — Colombia, India, Kenya and Mexico — and suggests that the civil society agencies food banks partner with are able to invest significantly more into other core areas of work because of the food, training and support provided by food banks.
Civil society consists of organizations outside of the government or business, primarily nonprofits and other community organizations. In 2022, in partnership with the food banks, GFN surveyed the networks of nine GFN members on their impact within civil society partnerships. Findings show that partner agencies generally received daily food assistance services from GFN-member food banks, with 92 percent of agencies acknowledging that food banks are one of the most important partners in their programming. If food banks were to close, 88 percent of agencies noted that their services would be negatively impacted. Respondent agencies saved an average of $139,000 a year and served an average of nearly 3,000 more people annually thanks to their partnership with a food bank.
When agencies receive free or low-cost food from food banks, it then allows the agency to save money and use funds for other important initiatives, like employment and education programs. In many cases, food banks work hand-in-hand with agencies to design these programs.
For example, food banks in Jordan, South Africa and the United Kingdom have co-launched employment programs to address poverty by helping people achieve self-sufficiency.
Fundación Banco de Alimentos Paraguay uses The Poverty Stoplight, a self-assessment tool that helps families gauge their living conditions and score areas in housing, jobs, education and health on a red, yellow and green scale. The goal is to move families from red to green, or “no poverty,” through targeted support from the food bank’s program managers. From 2022 to 2023, “no poverty” among participating families increased from 61 to 72 percent, with significant improvements in diets, income and household budgets.
Food banks mobilize resources to address food insecurity and its root causes in local communities, and these efforts accompany or even fill in the gaps of government social safety nets. Food banks are vital to the work of nourishing people and bolstering civil society organizations. With more investments from the private sector and others, food banks can expand their impact on communities, ensuring that every community receives the support they need.
To learn more about the impact of food banks on civil society, read our latest report, Food Banks: Building Blocks in Civil Society.
