On feeding the poor...a local area's solution to stocking the food pantry.

[cali]

10. that's a great idea. here's another one. The Food bank owns an organic farm

In 2007, Kingsbury Farm was bought by the Vermont Land Trust and sold to the Vermont Foodbank the following year, with the stipulation that Kingsbury Farm must provide the Vermont Foodbank with 40,000 pounds of produce annually in exchange for the use of 22 acres of land (7 tillable acres of organically-managed farmland) and infrastructure. However, once those noble terms were met, farmers and proprietors Aaron Locker and Suzanne Slomin were free to grow food to be sold at their farm store. The store in Warren, VT opened in late June and their wares include fresh produce, regionally produced cheeses, naturally leavened breads and pizza shells, farmstead soups, tarts and more.

This kind of partnership serves several purposes and could certainly serve as an example of best practices:

http://thehungerforum.net/2010/09/06/kingsbury-market-garden-and-vermont-foodbank/