COVID-19 Resources

According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, only infant formula requires expiration dating. All other foods are dated voluntarily by the manufacturer and the dates do not indicate if food is safe to eat or not, they simply indicate best quality of the item. There are three ways products are dated:

• “Sell by” tells the store how long to display the product for sale. You should buy the product before the date expires.
• “Best if used by (or before)” is a manufacturer’s recommendation for best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
• “Use by” is the last date recommended for use of the product while at peak quality. The manufacturer of the product has determined the date.

For more information, please see Food Product Date Page

Food is not known to transmit coronavirus. According to a recent?statement released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “We are not aware of any reports at this time of human illnesses that suggest COVID-19 can be transmitted by food or food packaging.” Like other viruses, it is possible that the virus that causes COVID-19 can survive on surfaces or objects. For that reason, it is critical to follow the 4 key steps of food safety—clean, separate, cook, and chill.

As always, the health and safety of partners, staff and the community is Houston Food Bank’s number-one priority.

We continue to follow CDC recommended sterilization procedures and have increased the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting, especially around high-traffic areas (volunteer areas, elevators, meeting rooms, bathrooms, food areas).

Volunteers working warehouse projects are required to wash hands before their shift starts, during breaks, when they switch projects, and after their shift. Gloves are also available for wear for warehouse projects.

Established food safety rules while working in our Keegan Kitchen requires the use of gloves at all times, stricter handwashing rules, and not working inside the kitchen when experiencing illness symptoms.

We are notifying volunteers prior to their shift that if they are not feeling well or experiencing any illness symptoms to please stay home.

The Houston Food Bank has come up with alternative distribution methods to continue to serve people who are food insecure in Houston and surrounding areas. We are encouraging our partners to consider these methods:

• Drive-through model
  • Drive up to Houston Food Bank partner site and food is loaded directly into vehicle
• Recommending to Houston Food Bank partners how to go to appointment methods instead of walk-ins
• Direct household distribution, which would be for quarantine only

If you’re concerned about going out, officials are recommending using delivery services such as Amazon, Instacart, Favor, etc. If you do not have the resources for these services, please visit our website to find a partner such as a food pantry to obtain product needed.

Stretch your SNAP dollars by visiting farmer’s markets or on this flyer. $30 of your SNAP dollars will be matched 1 for 1. You can get SNAP produce boxes in a drive through method at the locations listed.

Signing up to volunteer at the Houston Food Bank is easy! Please register and pick a shift date/time that works best for you.

Yes! We welcome volunteers as young as 6 years old. Any volunteer under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or adult. Please register each child as an individual volunteer and use your email address when filling out their information.

Currently, we have a need for more volunteers. You can also support the Food Bank by donating funds or our most needed food items.

Many of our Partners can utilize freshly prepared food. We will provide you with information on how to direct this type of donation to one of these organizations.

Houston Food Bank and its Partners provide essential services and we will continue to do so. Hundreds of thousands of people are counting on the organization and its Partners now, and this need will only heighten if the COVID-19 situation worsens.

We are in frequent communication with our Partners as the situation continues to develop and are reaching out to discuss any needs they have in order to continue to serve the community.

Our staff is following CDC recommendations for social distancing measures and enhanced sanitation, and we are encouraging all partners to employ and promote social distancing practices such as drive-through and appointment-based distributions. We are adjusting daily to meet the needs of the community and adapting our logistics and operations to help people in the safest and most effective ways possible.