Food pantry impact calculator
Turn pounds distributed and volunteer hours into the numbers funders and boards ask for.
Short answer. Food banks commonly count one meal as 1.2 pounds of food, the figure Feeding America uses from USDA data. So 12,000 pounds a month is about 10,000 meals a month, or 120,000 a year. Add volunteer time at Colorado’s 2025 value of $39.99 an hour.
Calculator
Where the figures come from
Meals use the conversion Feeding America uses for its own figures: each meal is roughly 1.2 pounds of food, based on USDA data. Volunteer value uses Independent Sector’s estimate of the value of a volunteer hour; Colorado’s figure for 2025 is $39.99.
Numbers you can stand behind
The result is only as good as the pounds and households you record. The free pantry intake log is a start; inventory for food pantries records them as food arrives and leaves.
Questions
Is 1.2 pounds per meal official?
It is the figure Feeding America uses for its meal estimates, based on USDA data. Your regional food bank may use the same or ask for pounds instead.
Should we count households or visits?
Use unique households for “households served,” and say so in your report. Counting visits gives a bigger number that means something different.
Tell us how the work gets done today.
Use the contact form or write to hello@sarasoris.com. The first conversation is free.
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