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Nazareth Food Bank describes volunteer-run distributions, $30,000 monthly purchase budget and 230-family caseload
Summary
Nazareth Food Bank volunteers told the Northampton County Economic Development Committee their ministry-style food bank serves roughly 230 families per distribution, relies on community donations and spends about $30,000 to run a monthly distribution.
Leaders of the Nazareth Food Bank told the Northampton County Economic Development Committee on July 3 that the volunteer-run food bank serves roughly 230 families per monthly distribution, relies heavily on local donations and maintains a roughly $30,000 monthly food budget for core distributions.
Nancy Madera, president of the Nazareth Food Bank, said the food bank serves families in the Nazareth Area School District footprint and stages an outdoor distribution on the second Tuesday of each month. "In order to have that distribution one time a month, our food budget for that is $30,000," Madera said.
Madera said volunteers sort donations arriving by van, check expiration dates and stage food for distribution; the operation typically packs food bags for about 230 families and has reached as many as 300. The food bank closes for donations during January, February and March because of winter conditions but issues grocery gift cards to clients during those months.
Terry Herbster, the food bank’s secretary, described a community garden across the street that yields produce for clients, and she detailed the food bank’s community-driven support including church drives, Girl Scout pie-making for holiday distributions and the annual Scouting for Food collection. Madera said Scouting for Food produced about six tons of food this year, which helped supply smaller purchases in spring distributions.
The food bank operates from an old railroad-station building in Nazareth and requires clients to live within the Nazareth Area School District; staff sometimes refer out-of-district requests to neighboring food banks. The organization said it receives periodic grants and local foundation support but is chiefly sustained by local churches, businesses and volunteers.
Madera and Herbster invited committee members and the public to visit the site, noted ongoing volunteer and board vacancies and thanked the county for support. Committee members praised the food bank’s volunteer model and encouraged public participation in volunteer and donation drives.
