The Food Bank will soon begin repacking projects
The Food Bank is embarking on a new adventure for 2020! We will soon begin repacking dry products in our volunteer center.
Repacking projects reap benefits for our hunger relief partners and our volunteers. We’ll be able to distribute this repacked food at a very low cost, and it provides a great opportunity for our volunteers to try something new.
It’s important to note that agencies should not be repacking any food items. Ozarks Food Harvest went through a detailed, in-depth process to acquire licenses for repacking. Our processes had to be evaluated and approved by the FDA, USDA, Feeding America and AIB.
We will only be repacking dry product at The Food Bank. Items to be sorted might include cereal, beans, rice and pasta. Since food safety is of utmost importance in the repacking process, volunteers will be required to wear gloves, hairnets, beard nets, aprons and other protective gear.
The volunteer center—which is an enclosed space—will be completely sanitized before repacking begins. We will be using special, disinfected equipment during each session. Each repacked item will also don a label.
Our team has worked closely with the operations department over the last six months to make this repacking opportunity a reality for our hunger relief partners and volunteers. We’re excited to start distributing repacked items to our partners in the near future!