FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

A: Here’s how the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas (CAFB) provides more than 23 million pounds of food and grocery products each year:

• CAFB receives food from state, regional and industry sources.
• The food is inspected and stored in a 60,000 square foot distribution center.
• A shopping list of available products is provided to all CAFB Partner Agencies. Partner Agencies place their order online or by fax.
• CAFB staff and volunteers pick, sort and pack each individual order.
• Local Partner Agencies pick up their food at the CAFB Distribution Center.
• Some Partner Agencies in regional areas of the 21 Central Texas counties served get their food delivered.
• All Partner Agencies maintain their own food pantries or on-site feeding programs. They distribute the groceries or prepared meals to individuals and families in their service area.

  Take a Virtual Tour with us to get a closer look!

A: According to the most recent census data, 307,296 Texans in CAFB's service territory live in poverty. One in six Texans is food insecure and has difficulty meeting basic nutritional needs. Meanwhile, large quantities of surplus food are available from the food industry and food manufacturers. Learn more about hunger and poverty.

A: CAFB receives food from a variety of national, regional and local sources. Quantities of donated food range from full truckloads weighing up to 40,000 pounds to a single 12 oz. can of corn donated at a food drive. Most donated food comes from the food industry.

CAFB benefits from packaging errors, revised product formulas, changes in marketing strategies, pending sell-by dates, as well as overproduction or inventory control. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), through the Farm Bill, is CAFB’s primary source of food. The USDA provides essential commodities such as beans, rice and peanut butter.

CAFB is an affiliate of Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest.) Feeding America provides donated truckloads of name-brand foods including Tyson, Hormel, Kraft and General Mills.

Central Texas Food Rescue, a program of CAFB, picks up donated, wholesome foods from grocery stores throughout the service area on a regular schedule. Contributions from H-E-B, New Flower Farmer’s Market, Sam’s Club, Target, Walmart, Whole Foods Market and others provide much-needed foods including meats, produce, dairy products and packaged products. In addition, H-E-B provides substantial quantities of non-perishable canned and packaged foods, which are inspected, sorted and boxed by CAFB staff and volunteers.

Local manufacturers and food producers including Michael Angelo’s Foods, Windsor Foods and Borden Milk provide substantial donations as well.

Food drives large and small ranging from the Souper Bowl of Caring, Stamp Out Hunger, AMD and Dell, to workplace, school and church events make a major contribution to help end hunger in Central Texas. Special events such as Reggae Fest and the Austin Hot Sauce Festival also make contributions.

Families and individual citizens continue to make a difference through their donations. Many gardeners donate their excess harvests. It all adds up.

A: Nearly every brand you see at the grocery store or in your own pantry can be found in the CAFB warehouse.

• Healthy non-perishable food
• Items with intact, un-opened, consumer or commercial packaging
• Items with non-breakable packaging (no glass, please)
• Food within the expiration date on the packaging

• Canned meats like tuna, stew and chili (pop-tops preferred)
• Canned vegetables
• Pasta & pasta sauce
• Beans
• Healthy cereals
• Peanut butter

A: CAFB provides more than 17 million pounds of food and grocery products each year. These items serve more than 350 non-profit human and social service Partner Agencies. By partnering with CAFB, these agencies save millions of dollars in food purchase costs annually. CAFB also connects people to federal feeding programs like SNAP (Food Stamps), provides nutrition education through its CHOICES program, and advocates for strong anti-hunger public policy. Learn more about CAFB Disaster Preparedness and Relief.

A: No. CAFB Partner Agencies - including soup kitchens, church food pantries, neighborhood centers, halfway houses, family crisis shelters and low-income daycare facilities - provide food and grocery products to their clients. Through the network of Partner Agencies, nearly 300,000 people receive food assistance each year. More than 40,000 people per week access emergency food assistance.

A: In great part, by people like you. CAFB is a non-profit organization that relies on contributions to pay most operating expenses. Individuals, corporations and foundations all contribute to CAFB, which is one of the best financial investments in the community. Nearly 98% of all resources received by CAFB are returned to the community in programs and services. This is the highest of any non-profit based in Austin. And with every $5 donated, CAFB provides $25 worth of nutritious food.

CAFB distributes more than $25 million worth of food and grocery products each year. Although the agencies pay a small handling fee for the food they receive, the total of those fees is less than $800,000 per year for more than 350 agencies.

This means that millions of dollars are saved by CAFB Partner Agencies – money that can be used instead for programs and other needs.

A: Funds are used to acquire and distribute donated food, including: the operation of the CAFB warehouse, utilities to run huge freezers and coolers, fuel and maintenance for refrigerated trucks, long-distance freight charges and materials needed for CAFB's product recovery program, agency training classes and publications. In addition to distribution, funds are also used to operate Kids Cafe, Fresh Food for Families, HOPE and Regional Food Delivery programs. Learn more in the Donations section of the FAQ.

A: 8201 South Congress Avenue, between William Cannon Drive and Slaughter Lane in Austin, Texas. Get directions.

A: Regular business hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (CST).
Additional volunteer hours are Thursday nights until 9 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 12:45 - 4 p.m.

A: Register online to sort donations. For other opportunities, visit the volunteer page or call the volunteer information line at 512-684-2140.

A: Visit our Partner Agency site for information and to register.

A: Sign up today to join our mailing list.

Thank you letters with IRS reporting information are only issued to donors who contribute money or in-kind goods or services directly to CAFB. For those who contribute more than $250 cumulatively in one year, the CAFB issues "year-end donation statements" detailing those donations.

Thank you letters for in-kind goods and services donations will list only the specific good or service donated, without a market dollar value assigned. This market value is for the donor to determine with their tax advisor. People or organizations donating in-kind goods or services to a third party (to event or auction organizers) can receive a "Certificate of Thanks" from CAFB, but specific donated items will not be noted.

If you would prefer to receive one statement detailing your total annual giving, rather than multiple thank you letters throughout the year, please call Emily Babb at 512-684-2542 or e-mail ebabb@austinfoodbank.org

Items donated to the event (food, set up equipment, etc.) will not be acknowledged as donations to the Capital Area Food Bank.

The proceeds from the event (subtracting the value of any goods/services CAFB provided) will be acknowledged as a tax-deductible donation to CAFB from the third party and the organization or individual will be sent a thank you note with IRS reporting information.

Items donated to the auction will not be acknowledged as donations to CAFB.

The proceeds from the auction (subtracting the value of any goods/services CAFB provided) will be acknowledged as a tax-deductible donation to CAFB from the third party and the organization or individual will be sent a thank you note with IRS reporting information.

Legally, CAFB can only hold two raffles per year. Winners of raffle prize packages valued at more than $600 must submit a W9 to CAFB, and CAFB will submit a W-2G to include with their taxes.

Donors who provide in-kind goods/services for the raffle prizes will be issued a thank you letter from CAFB with the IRS reporting information for the specific goods/services only. No market dollar value will be assigned by CAFB in the thank you letter.

Tickets are free to participants.

Donors who provide in-kind goods/services for the drawing prizes will be issued a thank you letter from CAFB with the IRS reporting information for the specific goods/services only. No market dollar value will be assigned by CAFB in the thank you letter.

CAFB will distribute a 501(c)3 letter and tax id number only to donors who are donating directly to CAFB. People who are soliciting money or goods and services on CAFB's behalf will not be able to use the 501(c) 3 letter or tax identification number.

A: The Capital Area Food Bank of Texas takes your security and trust very seriously. All contributions are securely processed using a VeriSign payment gateway in accordance with best practices for online transactions. The Food Bank also requires a verified cardholder address and credit card security code for all online transactions. When you receive your email confirmation, your credit card number and security code will not appear on your statement or receipt. If you have any questions or concerns about donating online, e-mail contribute@austinfoodbank.org or call Aimy Wiley, Online Development Coordinator, at 512-684-2532.

A: A variety of situations can result in an incomplete transaction besides insufficient funds or incorrectly typing in the credit card or checking account information. Please make sure that the billing address on your statement exactly matches the billing address you enter. If you are still experiencing difficulty, e-mail contribute@austinfoodbank.org or call Aimy Wiley, Online Development Coordinator, at 512-684-2532. For security reasons, it is advised that you do not send credit card or checking account information via e-mail.

A: You can make three types of donations: recurring donations, installment donations and one-time donations. A recurring donation will withdraw a fixed amount from your credit card or checking account every month, quarter or semi-annually. An installment donation allows you to spread out your donation over a full year. You can choose a semi-annual, quarterly or monthly contribution. A one-time donation bills your credit card or checking account only once per transaction. For each contribution made, you will receive an e-mail confirmation for your tax records.

A: Yes. You can make your donation "in honor" or "in memory" of someone or as a birthday or anniversary gift by choosing the options provided next to the Tribute Type option. The Food Bank will send confirmation to you along with a card announcing your donation to your designated recipient.

A: Yes, you have that option available on the gift submission form. In the Food Bank's annual report, your name will not be published in the donor roster.

A: You can always access your Gift Service Center to update your profile or change donation information. You can also call Aimy Wiley, Online Development Coordinator, at 512-684-2532 or e-mail contribute@austinfoodbank.org.

A: Online transactions require a valid e-mail address to ensure proper verification and acknowledgment of your gift. For your convenience, you can print out and save the e-mailed receipt for tax purposes. The Food Bank will not sell, rent or distribute your e-mail address at any time as indicated in the privacy statement. If you do not have an e-mail address, please donate by phone, fax or mail.