Did you know that when disaster strikes, the Food Bank is a trusted “second” responder? After first responders stabilize the threat, we provide essentials like water and food to help stabilize the community.
It’s a role our Food Bank has been called on to play many times in our 50-year history. Thanks to supporters like you, we’ve been here to support our neighbors whenever we are needed, from the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 to the devastating wildfires in LA county this year.
Although we always hope our services won’t be required, preparing in advance is a key part of our disaster response plan. With CAL FIRE reporting higher than average fire activity across the state, we’re grateful for supporters like you who’ve allowed us to plan and prepare to leap into action whenever we are needed.
Read on to learn more about how you’re helping us support our neighbors should disaster strike.
Ready, Set… Meals
We’re constantly evaluating our disaster response efforts and taking inventory of the non-perishable food and water stored in our 104,000-square-foot warehouse in Fairfield, which serves as our disaster response hub.
But Fairfield isn’t the only place we store emergency supplies. With your support, we’ve established a network of weatherproof storage containers at key locations across Northern California. These containers are stocked with our Ready-Set-Meal kits. Each kit contains a day’s worth of healthy, no-cook snacks, meals, and water for one person.
This preparation allows us to quickly adapt to what communities need and provide the fastest response possible. If a wildfire or other disaster cuts off road access from Fairfield, these additional storage sites ensure that our partners on the ground can still count on us to provide a safe supply of water and food when they need it.
In years where our full supply of emergency food is not used, these kitchen-free meals can be repurposed for our Food Bank programs, or provided to some of our 245 nonprofit hunger-fighting partners.
Working together to support our neighbors
Should disaster strike in Contra Costa or Solano Counties, we won’t be responding alone. We’ll be working with our network of 245 nonprofit agency partners – like food pantries, soup kitchens and day homes – who help ensure that aid reaches all corners of our community. We’ve also signed a mutual aid agreement with other Bay Area food banks, ensuring we all have others to call on in times of crisis.
In addition to preparing for disasters in our local communities, the Food Bank serves as one of Feeding America’s West Coast Disaster Hubs, coordinating shipments of food, water and supplies to our neighbors up and down the West Coast.
Earlier this year we were proud to support the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank in their disaster relief efforts, providing kits of emergency food and water to those who lost their homes to devastating wildfires. And because need does not end when fires are knocked down, we’ve also helped coordinate longer-term food assistance for those rebuilding their lives, as we did following the Maui firestorm in 2023.
Help us stay ready
Your gift will help us continue to plan and prepare, so we’re ready for the challenges our community faces today – and the unexpected events that can strike without warning.
