Criteria for Food Bank membership The following are criteria relates to membership for the Mountaineer Food Bank. All of the points below must be met in order to qualify: The agency must be a tax exempt, non-profit, publicly supported organization as described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code and must provide the Foodbank with it's 501(c)(3) letter of determination. The Agency Feeding Program serves the poor, needy, ill, infants, elderly or homeless. The Agency Feeding Program does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious beliefs, age, disabilities or sex. The Agency Feeding Program provides food FREE to its clients. The Agency Feeding Program does not sell, trade, barter or fund raise with products received from MFB. Selling, bartering and/or fundraising with donated products are Federal offenses. Our donors have procedures in place to spot abuse of donated products distributed from their program(s). The Agency Member maintains high standards of sanitation and food safety with regards to food storage/temperature, distribution and meal preparation. The Agency Feeding Program maintains stated days and hours of operation and responds to appropriate emergency referrals in its service area. There is a shared maintenance fee of $.14 per pound which is paid by each member agency when they receive food from Mountaineer Food Bank. If you believe that your Feeding Program meets the above criteria and does not already have a membership application, please contact the Mountaineer Food Bank's Agency Relations person at  304-364-5518 or rodney@mountaineerfoodbank.com

To come up with your own written guidelines, think about your pantry's priorities. You may want to consider the following:

1. Proof of client's residence e.g. publicly issued ID cards or utility bill, if you have a chosen service area
   
   
2. Income (some pantries use USDA income guidelines)
   
   
3. Employment status: employed, unemployed or under-employed
   
   
4. Number of people in family or household (consider whether you will require birth certificates for children)
   
   
5. Recent separation from source of income (consider whether you will require proof)
   
   
6. Recent or chronic medical costs (consider whether you will require proof)
   
   
7. Receiving or awaiting food stamps, TANF, Medicaid, or SSI (consider whether you will require proof if your clients have not yet received assistance, whether payments were lost, or whether a client is having trouble being re-certified)
   
   
8. Number of times and how often a family can be served (consider whether the family has transportation, and if not, will you deliver?)
   
   
9. Chronic need (consider whether you will refer clients who are applying for TANF and food stamps to another agency if their needs exceed what you can provide)

One pantry's guidelines will more than likely differ from others according to priorities and goals. For example, one pantry may prefer to serve Food Stamps and TANF families because they qualify for those programs and are low-income families. Another pantry may prefer to serve people who do not qualify for Food Stamps or TANF but are low-income families and in need.

Your guidelines are your own. When you decide on a set of guidelines, type them up and make them readily available should anyone be concerned about the fairness of distribution. Some pantries post their guidelines on the wall at their distribution site.

The MFB is concerned that food goes to needy people and that all people are screened alike.

1. USDA food is for distribution to individuals and families as emergency food.
   
   
2. USDA food is not to be prepared or served by that agency.
   
   
3. USDA food must be stored in a dry storage area off the floor in an area free of rodents and insects. Perishable foods must be handled and stored according to safe food handling practices. The storage area must be secured and foods separated from your other pantry items.
   
   
4. USDA food cases may be split up but cans and bags cannot be opened and divided. It must be distributed in the cans and bags it comes in.
   
   
5. Each person per family who receives USDA food must fill out a Self-Declaration of Income Form (pdf). Record what was given out and have the recipient sign and date the bottom of the form.
   
   
6. USDA food is free and no fee of any kind can be exchanged for or collected from those who receive it.
   
   
7. Quarterly Reports must be sent in each quarter, stating the number of households served and current inventory on hand.