How to Speak Like a Food Banker

We acknowledge that many individuals do not fully understand what Food Banking is or the specific terms used in the industry. Please see a list of words and phrases below that relate to the ongoing operations of Second Harvest Food Bank and to your own feeding programs: 

501(c)(3): A code section in the IRS that defines a private-nonprofit corporation with charitable intent.  Agencies must have filed for this in order to receive and distribute donated goods with Second Harvest. Organizations must. by law, provide a copy of their 501(c)(3) letter when requested. Copies of your 501(c)(3) letter can be obtained by calling 1-877-829-5500. 

Agency Reference Number: A unique number assigned to each Partner Agency to identify them. It is usually a couple of letters followed by a series of numbers. 

Agency Orientation: An hour and a half of on-site training at the Food Bank to introduce new Partner Agencies to the partnership.  All new Partners must attend orientation in order to begin distributing food. 

Client-choice pantry: A type of pantry layout model that allows neighbors to pick and choose what products they want in a grocery store-style structure. 

Feeding America: The Feeding America network is a nationwide network of food banks, food pantries, and meal programs that work together to provide food to people facing hunger in the United States. Feeding America helps local food banks with food, funds, and capacity building. 

FDA: The Food and Drug Administration. A government agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for regulating and supervising the safety of food. 

FIFO: Acronym for "First-In - First Out." A practice of product rotation where the oldest stock is distributed first. 

Good Samaritan Law: In 1996, the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act was signed as public law. While exceptions are made for gross negligence, the law protects nonprofit agencies, food banks, individuals, corporations, wholesalers, retailers, governmental entities, restaurants, caterers, farmers, and from civil and criminal liability should any recalled product later cause harm to the recipient. The Good Samaritan Law provides protection for food and grocery products that meet all quality and labeling standards imposed by federal, state, and local laws and regulations even though the food may not be “readily marketable due to appearance, age, freshness, grade, size, surplus or other conditions.” 

Power Purchase Food: Food that the Food Bank purchases in larger bulk at a considerably lower cost that is not at a shared maintenance cost. Agencies can identify these products on Primarius by "PUR."

Primarius: Refers to the online ordering platform that Agencies can log into using their login information and view Power Purchase inventory items that are available. 

Shared Maintenance: A handling fee to cover the cost of solicitation, transportation, warehousing, and distribution of donated products. Shared maintenance fees are authorized by Feeding America to help food banks offset warehousing and distribution costs. 

TEFAP: Short for "The Emergency Food Assistance Program." A federal program that helps provide emergency food assistance to low-income neighbors free of cost. Through Partner Agencies, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is able to distribute these government commodities.