
By Jenny
By Rachel
YOU HELPED THE FOOD BANK OF CONTRA COSTA AND SOLANO PROVIDE
20 MILLION POUNDS
– TO –
190,000 NEIGHBORS
YOUR ACTIONS
MADE A DIFFERENCE
TOOK ACTION BECAUSE OUR NETWORK ENCOURAGED THEM TO SUPPORT THANK YOUWe made great progress in 2016, but our work isn’t done yet. We still need your help to make sure everyone who needs a meal has access to one.
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By Larry
Originally posted in the Vacaville Reporter: The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano believes that it’s good to think outside of the box; actually, we think outside cans and bags too. We recognize the value in packaged food. It is less complicated to transport, is convenient and has a longer shelf life. However, we also realize the importance of balancing diets with healthier options. That is why we are committed to providing people with fresh fruits and vegetables.
The data is clear, consuming fresh produce is vital for our health. It combats obesity and diabetes, improves well-being and is the natural way of getting vitamins and nutrients that the mind and body need. Unfortunately, fresh produce can be out of reach to those on a tight food budget.
In the early days of the Food Bank, donations of produce were a small part of our operation. We received fruit from backyard trees and received donations from a local produce market. We occasionally got donations of cabbage or cantaloupe from local fields. The produce was welcome, but it was random and was not a significant portion of the food we distributed.
Fast forward four decades and the Food Bank now provides people in need with over 10 million pounds of produce a year. In fact, we have two distribution programs that focus exclusively on getting fruits and vegetables to food-insecure community members.
The Food Bank’s Farm 2 Kids program works in conjunction with after-school programs to provide fresh produce to kids, even when school is out. Many children who receive free or discounted breakfasts and lunches during the school year have no choice but to skip meals during the summer break. Farm 2 Kids helps bridge that gap for thousands of school-aged children.
Last summer, we distributed over 176,000 pounds of fresh produce through our special Farm 2 Kids summer program. This summer we are continuing to build the program. We are making healthy fruits and vegetables available to over 5,900 kids each week, at 46 sites, in partnership with dozens of programs across Contra Costa and Solano counties.
In addition to receiving produce, the children are educated about the benefits of eating healthy. Not only are their growing bodies being nourished now, but healthy lifelong eating habits are being reinforced for their future.
The other program that focuses exclusively on distributing produce is the appropriately named Community Produce Program. We started it in 2013 and it quickly became our second largest distribution program. Fresh produce is distributed year-round using customized refrigerated trucks that serve as mobile farmers’ markets.
Today we have 55 Community Produce Program distribution sites that provide produce to people twice a month. Last year, through this program alone, we provided over three million pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables to low-income families. People of all ages, including children and seniors, benefit from this resource and receive produce that they otherwise might not afford.
The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano believes fresh fruits and vegetables should not be considered a luxury. Our entire society benefits when everyone has access to healthy food. Together, we are not only fighting hunger, we are also strengthening the population’s overall health.
By Larry
Originally posted on the Vacaville Reporter: An astonishing one out of five children within our community is food-insecure. Child hunger doesn’t just affect children. It affects parents and our society as a whole.
When children grow up with chronic hunger, we know that they experience significant physiological damage because their growing bodies don’t get the nutrition they need. Children also suffer psychological damage because they don’t have the sense of security that comes from knowing where their next meal is coming from.
Food is the most basic daily need. As a parent myself, I can imagine the anguish a parent faces when they struggle financially to the point where they can’t always have enough food to feed their children. Not being able to provide for your child destroys a parent’s self-worth. Many parents face it on a daily basis and many more found themselves in this boat for the first time during the housing crash in 2008.
Studies have shown that food-insecure children fall behind their friends in academic achievement. Children are the future of this country, as we all know, so not providing adequate nutrition now will ultimately negatively affect all aspects of this nation.
To address child hunger, we have programs at the Food Bank that cater specifically to children. Farm 2 Kids helps low-income children have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. We partner with after-school programs in low-income areas in eligible school districts. Children take home three to five pounds of produce weekly.
Our School Pantry Program provides nutritious, nonperishable food to students attending qualified low-income schools. Located on school grounds, the pantries offer middle school and high school students access to groceries on an as-needed basis.
The Food Bank is an important resource for children in need within our community, and we also conduct outreach to educate families with children about other resources available to them. We work with the county to help enroll families in the CalFresh program. Through this program families receive benefits to purchase groceries helping to stretch their limited budgets. CalFresh is the most effective nutrition assistance program at pulling families out of poverty.
In three short months, schools will be out for the summer. When my children were growing up, summer just meant adjustments to our family routine because school was no longer in session. We never thought about our children not having enough food because school is out.
Unfortunately, the reality for many children is that summer breaks mean less food is available to them. That’s why the Food Bank advocates for the Summer Food Service Program at the government level.
Also, we perform outreach locally to educate families about this federal nutrition assistance program that helps children 18 and younger. We believe that no family in our community should ever have to send a child to bed hungry.
If you are interested in donating to the Food Bank to help us end child hunger, please visit www.foodbankccs.org/childhunger.
The author is executive director of the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, based in Concord. Email: info@foodbankccs.org.
By Larry
Originally posted in The Vacaville Reporter: Working at the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano for all of these years has taught me that many of our senior citizens are food-insecure because they struggle financially. Thirty years ago we started our Senior Food Program, to help this often-vulnerable segment of our population.
Our goal was to provide some supplemental food assistance to low-income seniors, age 55 and older. We saw that people who relied on Social Security as the bulk of their retirement income had difficulty making ends meet. Three decades later, that has not changed.
One thing that has changed is that thirty years ago it was much more common for people to retire with an employee-sponsored pension to help in their golden years as a reward for years of dedicated service. Nowadays most people are expected to self-fund their retirement accounts, but not everyone can afford to do so. When you are barely getting by and having difficulty paying your bills in the present, it’s hard to put away money for the future.
An ongoing problem within the Social Security system is that while the cost of food, housing and healthcare are always on the rise, increases in benefits are minimal or nonexistent. Social Security benefits simply don’t keep up with the rising cost of living, especially in the Bay Area.
A senior we recently spoke with at a distribution explained, “When you live on social security only, you have to budget very, very carefully.” She shared that receiving food from the Food Bank “takes a lot of pressure off of you because you know you can always go down and get a loaf of bread. You can get something to make a stew.”
Another senior at the distribution explained, “It helps with your weekly food budget. Every little bit helps. That’s less money we have to spend at the grocery store that we can use for something else like shampoo or bath soap.”
In addition to the Senior Food Program, low-income seniors can receive food through some of the Food Bank’s other direct distribution programs, including the Community Produce Program and Harvest to Home. We also partner with other nonprofit agencies that provide assistance to seniors through their pantries and soup kitchens.
We are thankful for our supporters who allow us to provide seniors with the nutritious food they deserve. If you are interested in making a financial donation to fight senior hunger, visit us at www.foodbankccs.org/seniors. If you are a senior needing assistance, please visit www.foodbankccs.org/getfood to get more information about a Senior Food Program distribution in your city.
The number of seniors we serve has grown over the years. Many of the seniors we talk to were once hard-working people who never imagined that they’d need assistance from a food bank someday. Aging is inevitable and people are living longer than ever. We need to let seniors know that we care and send the message that our society still values them.
By Jenny
Most of the seniors we serve never imagined that they would someday be in the position of needing assistance from the Food Bank. Colleen, age 71, is no exception. She worked as a Dental Nurse for years. When her husband fell ill with cancer, she became his full-time caregiver. Now a widow for five years, she lives solely on her social security.
Like many seniors, Colleen has to make tough choices with her limited income, especially when it comes to paying for medical expenses.
“The price of meds is going up so high. One of my medicines went from a $1.20 co-pay to a $20.00 co-pay,” Colleen explains. She told her doctor that she was not going to be able to pay for that one any longer. “Yeah, I’ve had to make those choices and I’ve done without the medicine. It’s very real; it’s very very real.”
Colleen adds, “I’ve needed new glasses for a couple of years and I can’t afford them. Medicare covers the cost of an eye exam, but they don’t cover the cost of glasses.”
Colleen is extremely thankful for the food she receives from the Food Bank by way of a partnering pantry. “It makes it so much easier to live day-to-day. I don’t need a lot, but boy it sure comes in handy. Just a can of soup or a loaf of bread or a piece of meat, I can make that last for three or four days. It’s just saved my life.”
She enjoys giving back to the community by volunteering at the pantry and being the coordinator of the monthly dinners at her senior housing development. She encourages others to not feel ashamed for needing assistance. “If you are hungry and you don’t have the funds to buy yourself some decent food and take care of yourself, you need to find out about these programs and let people help you.”
To learn more and to make a financial gift to help seniors the Food Bank provide assistance, visit www.foodbankccs.org/seniors.
By Larry
Originally posted on the Vacaville Reporter: We at the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano are excited to start 2016 by announcing a new program.
Harvest to Home started as a pilot program and has now officially become our eighth direct distribution program. Like our other endeavors, it was created out of an unfulfilled need within our community.
We became aware of this need while out on our Community Produce Program distributions. That program involves two converted beverage trucks going out to 56 sites in low-income neighborhoods and serving as mobile farmer’s markets. As the program was gaining momentum and becoming more visible, we were asked by community partners if it would be possible to make additional stops at low-income residential housing complexes located near our Community Produce Program sites.
We learned that residents in nearby neighborhoods qualified to receive food from the Community Produce Program, but simply could not participate because they didn’t have transportation to the distributions, were at work during distribution times or were medically homebound.
The truckloads of food that come into our warehouses can only make a difference if we can successfully get it out to our community members in need. Our job is to not only procure food, but also to make it accessible.
We recognized that if we went to these low-income housing complexes, we could reach more people in need and do so in an efficient manner. And so Harvest to Home was born.
There are currently six sites up and running; they are located in Richmond, Pinole, Vallejo, Dixon, Hercules and Concord. The deliveries occur twice a month and include fresh seasonal produce and loaves of bread.
Our Food Bank staff delivers the food to these sites where volunteer residents and the site staff typically set up distributions in common areas like community rooms. At a pre-determined time, residents can come in with bags and pick out what they need.Similar to a farmer’s market, it becomes a time for shopping and socializing, providing a sense of community and nutrition.
Living on a limited income is not easy, especially in this area. Single parents who have low-paying jobs struggle every day to feed their families.Senior citizens and disabled people have a difficult time getting by, even if they live in subsidized housing. We are proud of this new program that allows us to reach even more people in need.
Over 900 individuals received fresh fruits and vegetables last month from the Harvest to Home program. The feedback we have received so far has been very positive. With the community’s continued support, we hope to add two additional sites this year.
The author is executive director of the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, based in Concord. Email: info@foodbankccs.org.
By Rachel
As 2015 comes to a close, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano is in dire need of your help. We need to reach our $3 million dollar holiday fundraising goal in order to continue normal operation. If you haven’t given already, would you consider doing so now?
Typically the end of the year is our busiest time for financial contributions. However, the holidays have come and gone and the Food Bank is currently $400,000 behind in monetary donations.
Please help us continue services in 2016! Because the Food Bank already operates in an extremely efficient manner, with 96 cents of every dollar going directly to food programs, a budget shortfall would result in less food for our neighbors in need. We don’t want to have to turn anyone away.
Every little bit truly does make a difference. For every dollar you donate, the Food Bank can provide enough food for two meals.
You can help ensure all of our work in the community will continue in 2016 by donating by midnight on December 31st at www.foodbankccs.org/holidays.
Thank you for your support.
By Rachel
Not everyone wants a fancy gift for the holidays. For the 1 in 8 of your neighbors who receive help from the Food Bank, having food on their table is at the top of their holiday wish list. Your gift today can provide a healthy meal to a family in need this holiday season.
People like Lisa, and her young daughter Angel, directly benefit from the fantastic community support during the holidays. Lisa was on dialysis and needed help with groceries. Last Thanksgiving they attended a distribution at a Food Bank partner agency, where they received a turkey and groceries. Thanks to donors like you, Angel spent the holidays with family and “ate lots of food!”
This holiday season you can help Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano provide over 30,000 households with grocery bags that enable recipients to cook a special holiday meal and also help them with everyday grocery needs.
Together we can make the holidays more hopeful for children, families and seniors who struggle to put food on their tables daily.
By Larry
Originally posted on the Vacaville Reporter: Whether the information comes to you from statistical studies or just from taking a look around, it is obvious that the United States is facing an obesity epidemic.
The facts are overwhelming; we have the second-highest obesity rate in the world and spend more than $190 billion a year treating obesity-related illnesses. If you think the battle over healthcare is a major issue today, imagine what is going to happen as obesity and other diet-related illnesses increase the need for high-cost medical services.
As with so many of the issues we face as a society, the answer is fairly straightforward, but is difficult to implement because it requires us to think and plan long term. It will require us to change patterns that have developed over decades.
For more than a generation, our diet has deteriorated as we’ve replaced fresh food with prepared ready-to-serve meals and fast food.We have saved time and created convenience, but our diets are now filled with processed and sugar-laden foods. The associated health issues we see today are taking a toll on our society.
We have saved time and created convenience, but our diets are now filled with processed and sugar-laden foods. The associated health issues we see today are taking a toll on our society.
This situation will not turn around overnight, but the conversation around the importance of improving our diets has at least begun and some progress has been made in our children’s school cafeterias.
The nutrition standards of school meals were updated in 2012 under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kid Act. These improved standards require more fruits, vegetables, and whole-grains and less sodium, fat and sugar in school lunches.
A survey done by the Pew Charitable Trust and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that 72 percent of parents support strong nutritional standards for school meals. Another study published in Childhood Obesity, found that 70 percent of middle school students and 63 percent of high school students like the more nutritious school meals.
Kids are being exposed to healthier food in their school lunches and they are gaining first-hand knowledge that healthy food can taste good.
Most of the children we serve at the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano receive free or reduced costs lunches; making the meals they receive at school an important part of their diet.
By providing students healthier food on a regular basis, they are learning that fruits, vegetables and whole grains are an important part of a wholesome diet.
Furthermore, they are developing patterns that will fight obesity and other health-related illnesses.
We are doing the right thing when we feed our children well; we are setting them up to be healthy and successful.
A healthy school lunch is one of the best investments we make in the future of our society.
The author is executive director of the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, based in Concord. Email: info@foodbankccs.org
By Larry
Originally posted on the Vacaville Reporter: March is National Nutrition Month, which focuses on educating people to make informed food choices and creating comprehensive dietary habits. Struggling families in Contra Costa and Solano counties often aren’t able to select healthy options. Many turn to less expensive foods that are higher in fat, salt, calories and sugar, which can contribute to chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano is committed to providing nutrition to local families that otherwise might be out of reach.
We all know that eating fresh fruits and vegetables is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, but not everyone is able to afford nature’s nutritionally-packed food. This is why the Food Bank distributes a million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables each month. In fact, our second biggest distribution program is our Community Produce Program, which focuses solely on produce.
Twice a month through the Community Produce Program, the Food Bank’s customized trucks serve as mobile farmers’ markets. The difference between Community Produce Program and a farmers’ market? The produce is free and up to 20 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables are given to each qualifying household at each distribution.
In order to help low-income children have access to fresh fruits and vegetables and establish healthy eating habits at an early age, the Food Bank created the Farm 2 Kids program. We partner with after-school programs in low-income areas in eligible school districts. Every week during the school year 9,000 children receive a three to five pound bag of produce to take home. Sometimes it is the only food they have for dinner.
For the 1 out of 4 children who struggle with hunger every day, school can serve as a place where they can count on receiving the food they need to learn and thrive. The School Pantry Program provides nutritious, nonperishable food to students attending qualified low-income schools. The School Pantries are located on school grounds and run by a school staff member. This way food can be given out discreetly to avoid any embarrassment that many students already experience during high school years.
The office manager of one high school realized a girl at school was not eating anything except for the free lunch she received at school. When she spoke with this girl, the student explained that her dad has diabetes and they spend all of their money on buying him special foods. Sometimes there is just not enough for her brothers and sisters. She is now able to pick out the foods her family can eat like brown rice, canned vegetables without salt and low-sugar cereals. This is a nutrition need that the Food Bank would not be able to identify on our own. Through these strategic partnerships the Food Bank is able to help students of all ages in a way that provides the nutrition they need and helps them to be ready to learn.
In addition to these specific programs that address the nutritional needs of people in our community, the Food Bank also offers nutrition support in the form of recipes and education. We strive to educate clients and volunteers at partnering agencies about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables, small servings and nutritionally balanced meals. Budget-friendly recipes and cooking tips are provided at distributions, in newsletters and on our website. These resources help individuals turn the ingredients they receive from the Food Bank into delicious and nutritious meals.
Although March marks National Nutrition Month, our mission here at the Food Bank is to supply families with healthy food year round.
By Larry
Originally posted on the Vacaville Reporter: Most of the changes that have taken place at the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano have come about in a natural evolutionary process. We have grown into an organization that wants to provide our clients with not just food, but healthy and nutritious food.
Our initial focus on providing healthier food started with selecting better nutritional options when purchasing food from our suppliers. We started purchasing fruit packed in juice without added sugar, reduced-sodium canned vegetables, peanut butter without added sugar and canned tuna packed in water, rather than oil. The cost of food is always a concern to us and the agencies we serve, but we also realize that short-term savings decisions we make can have long-term health impacts on those who eat the food we provide.
Our nutritional efforts further expanded when we started working with the California Association of Food Banks to obtain donations of unmarketable but wholesome fresh produce. We started receiving oranges, apples, broccoli, cabbage, sweet potatoes, onions and more. This produce is not marketable for a number of reasons, but it is full of nutrients and is a valuable resource to the individuals we serve. This supply of fresh produce became vital as we built distribution programs like Food for Children, Farm 2 Kids and the Community Produce Program. We have found that people do want to eat well, as they know it will improve their overall health.
Unfortunately, low-income people often have trouble getting the fresh produce they need, as it can often be expensive and difficult to obtain. We know we are making a difference when we send a truck load of fresh produce to low-income schools and local health clinics. Now over half of the food we distribute annually is fresh produce. To add more value to the produce we provide, we started offering recipe ideas and nutrition information at distributions and in newsletters. With this information, our clients can turn the ingredients we provide into healthy meals.
To get a general nutritional overview of the food we were distributing, we began evaluating the percentage of food that we would consider “good” (cookies, soda and sweets are not considered “good”). We developed a standard that had some subjective judgments, but we have stayed consistent to the standard we set, giving us a good evaluation tool. Over the years, we have seen our standard of “poor food” decline from 7% of the total food we distribute to now be approximately 2%. With the Food Bank purchasing healthier nonperishable food and the increase in fresh produce that we distribute, it is clear that the focus is not just on the quantity of food, but the quality of food as well. When individuals eat healthier, our entire society wins.
info@foodbankccs.org
PO Box 6324
Concord, CA 94524
Concord Location
P: 925-676-7543
F: 925-671-7933
Fairfield Location
P: 707-421-9777
F: 707-421-0205
Fairfield Warehouse
Monday through Friday: 7:00 am - 3:30 pm
Saturdays by appointment