A food bank and a food pantry are Not the Same Thing.

People use the two terms interchangeably, but in the charitable food system they describe different jobs.

The food bank

A food bank is a distribution hub. It collects food in bulk from manufacturers, grocers, farms, government programs, and food drives, stores it in warehouses with refrigeration, and supplies it to local agencies. Most food banks do not hand groceries to individuals directly, or do so only through a few programs of their own.

In the United States many food banks belong to Feeding America, a national network of about 200 member food banks. Food banks also distribute commodities through The Emergency Food Assistance Program, a federal program run by the Department of Agriculture and administered through the states.

The food pantry

A food pantry is where people receive food. Pantries are often run by congregations, community centers, schools, and small nonprofits, frequently by volunteers. Many source a large share of their stock from a regional food bank as a partner agency, and supplement it with local donations and purchases.

Meal programs, sometimes called soup kitchens, serve prepared meals on site. Mobile pantries bring food to places without a fixed site.

What that means for donors

Food banks buy and move food at a scale no household can match, so a cash gift to a food bank often goes further than groceries bought at retail and donated. Pantries, meanwhile, frequently need things food banks cannot supply well, such as fresh produce, hygiene products, diapers, or simply volunteers on distribution days. Ask either one what it needs before you collect anything.

What that means for donated food

The federal Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act protects donors who give apparently wholesome food in good faith to nonprofit organizations from civil and criminal liability, except in cases of gross negligence or intentional misconduct. Congress passed an expansion of those protections in December 2022, and it was signed into law in January 2023. Restaurants and grocers that hesitate to donate over liability concerns are often unaware of the law.

Starting something new

If you want to start a pantry, call the regional food bank first. It can tell you which neighborhoods are underserved, what partner agencies must do to receive food, and whether an existing pantry would welcome more volunteers instead.