What is the difference between a food bank and a food pantry? That’s a great question. Both play a role in ensuring people have access to food. The main cause of hunger is not the lack of food but the lack of access to food.

Food banks typically store food in large warehouses and distribute to local food programs, like food pantries. Food banks serve a specific geographic area.

Food pantries are an emergency food program and the distribution center where people can get food. Supplied with food from a food bank, pantries feed hundreds of people every week.

If you need more information on food assistance, contact an ISU WIN manager, www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/win, or contact your local food pantry, www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank.