Charity Navigator 4 star and Candid Platinum Transparency

Transparency matters

The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano takes pride in being good stewards of our community’s generosity; your trust is exceptionally important to us. That’s why we are thrilled to announce that the Food Bank recently received another 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and the Platinum Seal of Transparency

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Vic’s legacy lives on

Vic Smith, a beloved Food Bank volunteer passed away in January—just shy of his 100th birthday. For over 20 years, he and his wife of over seven decades, Fran, filled food boxes for local children. Vic is not only remembered for the impact he made fighting child hunger, but also

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Drink your greens with this new smoothie recipe!

Do you want to know how you can add more leafy greens to your diet for National Nutrition Month? DRINK them! We recommend storing fresh kale, spinach or chard in the freezer to use in smoothies. It prevents the produce from spoiling and provides a nice texture to your drink.

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Coconut Turmeric Chicken Soup

Move over chicken noodle! Let us introduce you to the new favorite go-to soup for some Food Bank staffers. It’s from Budget Bytes and features ingredients known for their natural healing properties including fresh turmeric, ginger and garlic. Pro tip: Squeeze LOTS of fresh lime juice at the end—you will

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The art of giving

Richmond’s Lifelong William Jenkins Health Center is one of our nonprofit partners and a recent recipient of a Food Bank agency enhancement grant. Read this heartfelt letter from Alma, their pantry manager, to learn about the impact you make when you support the Food Bank: Thank you so much for the enhancement grant

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The “Yes, you CAN!” Summer Challenge is here!

We were recently inspired by a story about a quick-thinking mom who turned trips to the store with her two young children into a chance to give back. After repeatedly saying “no” to their requests (for seemingly everything in sight), she said “yes”—but there was a catch. She tasked them

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Why CalFresh Matters

Food Bank Senior Calfresh Outreach Coordinator Robert Gama will never forget the woman who gave him a grateful hug in the Food Bank lobby after he helped her sign up for CalFresh benefits. Robert, who has been helping people navigate the CalFresh application process for six years, recalls the memory:

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5 ways to a happier 2021

Need a mental health boost? We get it! A lot of things feel out of our control, but there are things you can do to feel engaged and connected to one another–while remaining safe! Here are five ways to make 2021 a happier year for you AND the people who

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The impact of your kindness

What does a single mom of five children,  a man being treated for blood cancer and a college student in his 50’s all have in common? They are among the 270,000 of our neighbors you have been nourishing through this pandemic.  The single mom? She recently shared with us, “This

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Where there is a will, there is a way…

Some could argue our “new normal” for our this COVID-19 society can best be described as “indefinite uncertainty” and frankly, adjusting to this is really hard. As difficult as life is right now for almost everyone, we can’t forget there are thousands of people locally who are struggling just to

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45 Years of Service and Partnership

This summer marks the Food Bank’s 45th anniversary and together—as a community—we have certainly been through a lot: eight presidents, six recessions, the Loma Prieta earthquake, devastating fires and now a global pandemic!  Understandably, when disasters strike we are often asked if the Food Bank is going to run out

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This is why we turn to you

We reached out and you stepped up! With your support, we’ve been able to add weekly drive-thru distributions as part of our COVID-19 response. We recently met Cheralyn at one of these pop-up events and based on what she shared with us, it sounds like she also knows a thing

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