Food banks are places that store food and donate it to needy people. There are basically two kinds
of food banks. One type of food bank gives food directly to those people in need. The other type of
food bank stores the food, and gives it to other places that feed people without enough money to
buy food.
Food banks often appeal for donations by performing a “food drive”. This is an event where people
are encouraged to come and donate food. Some sports teams, for example, require that fans attending
a game donate food to get in the stadium. Food drives are also often held during special holidays
such as Christmas or Thanksgiving. Food banks are usually very busy at this time of year and need
extra donations to help out.
The need for food banks is rapidly increasing. In the UK, two food banks are opened every week. One
food bank network went from having 20 food banks in 2008 to 100 food banks in 2011. Governments
around the world are reforming their social welfare programs. This means less money for the needy
to spend on essentials such as food. Some corporations and businesses offer such small salaries
that employees must rely on food banks to cover the shortfall.