FoodMobile

The Eastern Illinois Foodbank rolled out its first FoodMobile in October of 1999. The FoodMobile program was developed by the Second Harvest Gleaners Foodbank of western Michigan, as an outreach of their "Waste Not Want Not” program. The Gleaners Foodbank study indicated large quantities of food were available for distribution. However, the available food was not attractive to emergency food programs using normal methods of distribution. The same food was highly desirable by clients in need.

The Foodbank's FoodMobile allows clients the opportunity to choose the foods they find desirable. Allowing “client choice” enhances the agency's effectiveness.

Each FoodMobile contains 8,000 pounds of food and other products valued at approximately $8,500 to $13,500. This is enough food product to distribute approximately $50 worth of product to 150 families on each trip and truckload. Products are selected for FoodMobile distribution for a variety of reasons. Some examples are products with short shelf life - such as bread, produce, and items with close expiration dates. Overstocked items such as cereal and juice and oddly packaged items like oversized cans and individual serving sizes are other examples. The FoodMobile is designed to supplement families' food supplies; it is not intended to serve all the food or meet all nutritional needs. Supplementing food sources is vital to ending hunger in our communities.

A FoodMobile will go wherever there are people in need and communities willing to serve. Rural areas, churches, parks, housing authorities and migrant worker farms are some of the destinations of these wonderful FoodMobiles.

The total cost of a FoodMobile product delivery and distribution is $1,250, or roughly 1/10th of the value of the food product delivered to each community. Agencies support the FoodMobile by contributing $250 per delivery. Individual or organizational donations are accepted to sponsor the remaining $1,000 cost for each FoodMobile community delivery.