According to Dr. David R. Just, Professor in the School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University, annual donations to food banks and pantries may be worth $28 billion nationwide.  Contributions benefit recipient families by as much as $1,000, annually.

According to Feeding America, food banks served 51,000,000 recipients in 2021.   The study* conducted by Dr. David Just and Dr. Ann Byrne, analyzed 13 years of data from a Colorado food bank serving Larimer County.

The article extrapolated the number of annual visits to food pantries and banks in the U.S, to be 389 million.

Each visit to a food bank probably cost $50 based on distance, duration and frequency of trips offset by the value of food obtained.

*Byrne, A. T. and Just, D. R., “What is Free Food Worth?” – A Nonmarket Valuation Approach of Estimating the Welfare Effects of Food Pantry Services J. Ag. Economics, November 2022. doi.org/10.1111/ajae.12355