2022 Impact Report

Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano

Our Mission

Leading the fight to end hunger, in partnership with our community and in service of our neighbors in need.

CEO's Message

A Reflection:

Redefining Leadership in the Fight to End Hunger

As I reflect on this past year,  the word that comes to mind is change. As we reorient ourselves in the “post-pandemic” era, I am immensely grateful for the support we’ve received and the impact we’ve made. It is with your support that we feel more confident than ever that we can serve the needs of our community day-in, day-out – even as those needs change and evolve.

This last year, our clients’ needs certainly increased. As our neighbors struggled to recover from long-term effects of the pandemic – only to face rising inflation and high food costs at their local stores – your support enabled us to adapt quickly to serve record-high numbers of people who needed food assistance. New faces appeared in our long lines. Because of you, we were able to serve over 258,000 clients per month on average in Contra Costa and Solano Counties – approximately 1 in 6 of our neighbors, last year. Since then, the need has only risen, and your support is more critical than ever.

We learned that there were critical gaps in our community safety net that we needed to address. That is why in 2022, we pushed forth our Three-year Strategic Plan, a roadmap that addresses these gaps with empowered partnerships, nutritious food that results in better health outcomes and improved data that can help us learn and best serve our community. 

To ensure the long-term health and strength of our communities, there are significant steps we need to take, and the work has already begun. As we compiled learnings, it became clear that the needs of our neighbors are nuanced – from needing culturally-relevant food to having more access to agencies closer to home. That’s why, as of today, we’ve successfully partnered with over 260 agencies to better serve our communities, and are in collaborations with local farms that are led by women and BIPOC to serve diverse foods (see page 22 to learn how we’re forming partnerships).

There is still much more work to be done – and change can’t wait. Looking ahead, I am excited to partner with all of you, and our community, to continue executing our strategic plan. I am excited to redefine what it means to lead the fight to end hunger.

For this opportunity I thank YOU – our family of donors, sponsors, volunteers and partners who make serving our neighbors possible every single day. We are and will always be stronger together.  

In partnership,

Joel Sjostrom
President and CEO

CHange Starts with Access to Nutrition

This means nice fresh food for me. Otherwise I might not have it.

- Mary,
Community Produce Program Client

Our Roadmap to a
Healthier Community

Our Three-Year Strategic Plan

Empowering Our Agencies

Helping our nonprofit agency partners distribute even more food, and expanding our community partnerships to fill the gaps. 

Improving Health Outcomes

Targeted programming for vulnerable populations using education, advocacy and nutritious food. 

Enhancing Data and Technology

Improving service to our neighbors with better information gathering, reporting and analysis. 

The Critical Work Has Already Begun

Because Change Can't Wait

Fighting Hunger Together

34 Million Pounds

of food distributed

258,000 People

served every month

227 Direct Distribution Sites

provided fresh foods and pantry staples to our neighbors

97 cents of every dollar

went towards feeding the community

60% of the food we distribute

was fresh produce, proteins and dairy

1 in 6 community members

served every month

260+ partner agencies

including soup kitchens, food pantries and child development centers

6,700 volunteers

served almost 100,000 volunteer hours

Watch our IMpact in Action

Play Video

Improving Access

Launched last year, our Find Food Map is making it easier for neighbors to find the food they need at the times and places that work best for them. 

The map is searchable by city, zip code and day of the week. To improve access further, it’s available in English or Spanish – with more languages to come. 

50,500+ people used the map in its first year
4,600+ people use the map each month

Map of California with pin locations in the greater Bay Area

Empowering Agencies:
Leadership in Partnership

Adapting to our community’s needs takes agility – and agility is only possible working alongside our 260+ partners. Our partners, which include a vast network of food pantries, soup kitchens, transitional housing services, child-care centers and more, distributed more than half of the food we provided last year, helping us reach more parts of our community and support more of our neighbors in the ways that work best for them. 

When you support us, you also support this critical network. Thanks to your generosity, we awarded $550,000 in agency enhancement grants to 82 agencies last year – our biggest single grant round to date! These funds helped our partners purchase vehicles, equipment and make technological upgrades so they can distribute even more food safely. 

Following are a few of their stories.

Empowering Dignity and Choice

Agency: Vallejo First Baptist Soup Kitchen

Pastor Mike makes a sandwich

Purchased mobile salad bar and ice machine to increase food choice for unhoused neighbors

“It makes the attitude different…I get feedback from people bragging that ‘Hey I got to make my sandwich the way I wanted. I got to order it. Look at this.’”

Pastor Mike,  Vallejo First Baptist  Soup Kitchen

Empowering Efficient Food Transportation

Agency: Lifelong Medical Health Centers

Purchased cargo van to pick up recovered groceries from local stores and food from our warehouse

“Since purchasing our van we’ve had Veggie Giveaway distributions every Wednesday without fail. No cancellations and no disruptions!…We are working on a system to share our van with our other LifeLong Medical Health Centers in Contra Costa County to help them grow their Veggie Giveaways, too.”

Empowering Food Safety

Agency: Delta Christian Community Food Pantry

Purchased van with solar generator system to improve food safety

“It has relieved my mind greatly to have this van just because this summer it was 120 degrees several days. I’m always afraid with meat, poultry, eggs and fish – we’re out too long to not be concerned about that” 

-Pastor Karen, Delta Christian Community Food Pantry, Byron/Knightsen/Bethel Island

01 03

Empowering Dignity and Choice

Agency: Vallejo First Baptist Soup Kitchen

Pastor Mike makes a sandwich

Purchased mobile salad bar and ice machine to increase food choice for unhoused neighbors

“It makes the attitude different…I get feedback from people bragging that ‘Hey I got to make my sandwich the way I wanted. I got to order it. Look at this.’”

Pastor Mike,  Vallejo First Baptist  Soup Kitchen

Empowering Efficient Food Transportation

Agency: Lifelong Medical Health Centers

Purchased cargo van to pick up recovered groceries from local stores and food from our warehouse

“Since purchasing our van we’ve had Veggie Giveaway distributions every Wednesday without fail. No cancellations and no disruptions!…We are working on a system to share our van with our other LifeLong Medical Health Centers in Contra Costa County to help them grow their Veggie Giveaways, too.”

Empowering Food Safety

Agency: Delta Christian Community Food Pantry

Purchased van with solar generator system to improve food safety

“It has relieved my mind greatly to have this van just because this summer it was 120 degrees several days. I’m always afraid with meat, poultry, eggs and fish – we’re out too long to not be concerned about that” 

-Pastor Karen, Delta Christian Community Food Pantry, Byron/Knightsen/Bethel Island

Leading the fight to end hunger goes beyond providing immediate support, it also means generating awareness of the issue and creating a stronger safety net for the long-term health of our community. One key population is our youth – whose ability to learn and grow is dependent on the basic necessities of food. 

Currently, 1 in 3 college students struggle with food insecurity. Because this population often suffers in silence, the Food Bank relies on a critical advisor: Community Advocacy Partner (and now Board Member) Jenny Berten. Inspired by her work as a nurse at Saint Mary’s College of California, Jenny focuses her advocacy efforts on removing stigma and improving food security for college students.

Her efforts have already led to systemic changes at Saint Mary’s that are creating new awareness and support for students facing hunger.

“College hunger is not addressed to the degree it could be because students often experience food insecurity in silence. They say, ‘I’ll just live on Top Ramen, it’s okay.’ 

But we know college students who are food insecure are 43% less likely to graduate than their food-secure peers, and have increased rates of anxiety and depression. Hunger can also affect focus in the classroom and information retention.

Since spring of 2022, Saint Mary’s has used a proven-effective two-question food insecurity screening in the Student Health Center and Counseling Department. If students screen positive, we’ve created a list of community resources, which includes information about our campus food pantry, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, and CalFresh benefits.

And because we’re screening every student in the clinic, it raises awareness that 1 in 3 college students struggle with food insecurity. It’s creating a conversation where it has not existed before, and that’s the piece I like the most.”

Improving Health Outcomes

A Close Look at Our Menus

To effectively improve health outcomes in some of our most vulnerable communities, first we needed to listen to those we serve. Based on dietary advice and client preference, and with your support, we made the following improvements to our Senior Food Program menus:

2020: Replaced high-fructose and high-salt items with healthier items; added cheese and other dairy products

2021: Added frozen proteins like chicken and ground turkey in every distribution

2022: Included three new seasonal produce items per month; added no-salt seasonings

Supporting Our Seniors:

Karen's Story

Family smiling with food distribution bag

Like many of us, retired teacher Karen has been feeling unwelcome shock every time she checks the prices at her local supermarket. At one local store, a loaf of bread is $5. The money she spends for one gallon of milk used to be enough to buy two. 

The prices in the grocery stores are crazy,” she shared, while picking up groceries from our Senior Food Program in San Pablo with her husband Chris and daughter Melanie. “You can’t afford to eat with prices like that, so this is much appreciated.”

Prices for food were already creeping up when the year began, and since then it’s only gotten more expensive to eat. Add in increases for fuel, housing and other basic necessities and Karen’s family hasn’t been alone in feeling the pinch. Demand for our Senior Food Program has grown by more than 60%, as inflation eats into many seniors’ already-fixed incomes.

Karen and Chris said they’re grateful the Food Bank is there to help them stretch their budget during tough times like these. They particularly appreciate getting eggs, meats and produce – the fresh spinach we’ve added to our menus this past year is a family favorite.

Financials

Revenue: 57% individuals, 10% corporations, 13% foundations, 19% government grants, 1% organizational grants.

Support & Revenue

Individuals$14,727,948
Corporations$2,518,154
Foundation Grants$3,285,755
Government Grants$4,912,699
Organizational Grants$221,292
Value of Donated Food Received$88,124,885
Investments and Rental Income$39,447
Fees and Service Charges$1,043,710
Discounts Earned and Other$139,079
TOTAL SUPPORT AND REVENUE$115,012,969
97% of expenses go to Programs, Services and Food Distribution. 1% goes towards Management adn Genral Expenses.

Expenses

Programs, Services and Food Distributed$110,154,957
Resource Development and Fundraising$2,596,729
Management and General Expenses$1,093,412
TOTAL EXPENSES$113,845,098
Platinum Transparency 2022. Candid.
Charity Navigator Four Star Charity

Hard copies of the annual audit are available upon request; digital copies can be accessed at foodbankccs.org/financials. Every effort has been made to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the information contained in this report based on our Feeding America service area. Please contact Brian Morrow at bmorrow@foodbankccs.org with any comments/questions.

Member of Feeding America

BOARD of
DIRECTORS

Chair: Jill Steele (2020)
Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy, Prophet

Vice Chair: Laura Moran (2016)
Retired, Partner, Prophet

Jenny Berten (2022)
College Health Nurse, Saint Mary’s College of California

Dan Birkhaeuser (2022)
Partner, Bramson, Plutzik, Mahler & Birkhaeuser, LLP

Bill Burke (2022)
Vice President, Comerica Bank

Tom Chowaniec (2020)
Retired, Regional Manager, General Mills

Keva Dean (2022)
Eligibility Work Supervisor, Contra Costa County

Rich Golinski (2020)
Partner, Cerity Partners

Mark Gundacker (2019)
Head of People, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

Melissa Manke Fimbres (2022)
Director, Technical Services, Valero Energy Corporation

Melissa Jones (2018)
Executive Vice President, Chief HR Officer, CSAA Insurance Group

Marc Lewis (2017)
Attorney, Partner/Co-Founder, Lewis & Llewellyn LLP

Teresa Makarewicz (2019)
Retired, Manager CA Business Coordination, Shell Oil Products US

Ryan Misasi (2022)
Executive VP, Retail Banking, Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central CA

Bruce Phelps (2018)
Retired, Consultant, BiotecHPro Consulting, LLC

Tanya Powell (2020)
Chief Financial Officer, Total Safety Supplies and Solutions

Gretchen Tai (2022)
Vice President, Investments, CSAA Insurance Group

The year in parentheses indicates the year that member was elected to the Board. Board members are all independent voting members.

Growing Forward:

An Eye Toward the Future

What’s coming next for the Food Bank

As we move into 2023 and beyond, the Food Bank is eager to redefine what it means to lead the fight to end hunger. Thanks to supporters like you, we’ve been able to quickly pivot and adapt to food crises due to the pandemic and natural disasters. Looking ahead into a post-pandemic world impacted by record-breaking food inflation, we’ll be supporting vulnerable populations who will take years to recover.

Change can’t wait. That’s why we’re eager to take the insights we’ve learned and the partnerships we’ve built – to provide support in the short-term, and innovate on how to solve food insecurity for the long-term.

MOre to COme

  • We are sourcing more produce from small, local producers, distributors and farms led by people who are Black, Indigenous or people of color (BIPOC) or women. This will both support their businesses and provide our neighbors with a variety of fruits and vegetables that are culturally relevant to the diverse communities that call Contra Costa and Solano Counties home.
  • We will soon launch our 2023 legislative agenda, which will focus on social safety net programs, strengthening food systems and building policy partnerships.
  • We are expanding key programs, like Kids Nutrition on Weekends (K-NOW) and Senior Food Program to serve high-need areas and populations.

The Impact of our Work is Only Possible Thanks

to the power of our partnerships

Wells Fargo

Our work is possible in part thanks to our corporate supporters. If you are interested in being a corporate sponsor of our Annual Report, contact Julia Bermudez at sponsorships@foodbankccs.org.

Together

we are creating a more effective, equitable and inclusive safety net that supports the long-term strength of our community. As we evolve and redefine what it means to solve one of the toughest challenges our community faces – hunger – we are thankful to have you with us.