Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano

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45 Years of Service and Partnership

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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 of food. The answer is no because we’re not going to let that happen. And we know our supporters aren’t going to let that happen either. 

You—our generous hunger fighters—have been coming through for our impacted neighbors during these uncertain times. You’ve been matching the unprecedented demand of the current health and financial crisis with unprecedented support…and sometimes in very creative ways!

We thank you for helping us to grow and develop an incredible network of donors, volunteers, suppliers, and nonprofit partner agencies over the years. Without this solid foundation, we would not have been able to quickly spring into action and help the thousands of new people turning to us after losing their jobs because of the pandemic.

However, you don’t just answer the call for help during widespread emergencies. For the past four and a half decades, everyday heroes like you have been stepping up and allowing us to nourish individuals, from children to seniors, so they can make it through whatever personal crisis they are experiencing. 

In fact, before anyone even heard of COVID-19 or thought to stockpile toilet paper, you were helping us serve 178,000 people per month. 

We invite you to join our advocacy efforts as we move forward with our guiding mission statement: “Leading the fight to end hunger, in partnership with our community and in service to our neighbors in need.” 

Together, with you by our side, we can continue to nourish our community through these ever-changing times until chronic hunger no longer exists.

 

This is why we turn to you

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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 or two (or three) about stepping up for her community in need:

“I took in three children under 3-years old because nobody wants to take foster kids during a pandemic. I guess I had a choice, but my heart didn’t have a choice. It will be six months before the foster care money comes in for the kids, so here we are. The Food Bank and (partner) pantries have been such a big help.”

Sometimes the helpers even need help. Thank you for being there for Cheralyn, so she can be there for those children during these extraordinarily challenging times.

 

 

Kim Castaneda
Development Director
Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano

Know anyone needing assistance with food? Here’s how to get it!

Food Bank distributions (these are food programs we run)
  • Visit foodbankccs.org/getfood.
  • Choose your city and you’ll see a listing for various programs taking place.
  • Check the calendar for the week(s) of each distribution (like 1st and 3rd Tuesday).

Soup kitchens and food pantries (operated by our partner agencies

  • Call us at 1-855-309-3663 (FOOD) and let us know what city you are in.
Pop-up drive-thru distributions (weekly events in larger venues)

Frontline Q&A – Program Updates from Staff

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As our COVID-19 response continues, we took a few moments to check in with staff members who manage and coordinate some of our various food programs. They interact with our neighbors of our community who need our services and witness firsthand the impact your generosity makes.

Read interviews from some of our frontline Program staff

Frontline Q&A – Produce Programs

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Nick Clark – Community Produce Program Administrator

What are clients saying?
People are sincerely grateful for the produce they get through the Community Produce Program. We have seen more need, and we are working hard to meet it. There is so much gratitude; I hear “thank you” a hundred times a day! Many more people now simply can’t afford fresh fruit and vegetables. If they didn’t get it through us, they simply would go without. 

What is the Community Produce Program?
The Community Produce Program gives out fresh fruits and vegetables at 140 distributions a month. Each person ends up taking home about 20 pounds of produce. It’s more essential than ever right now that people have access to healthy food so they have money for their other basic expenses. 

What do you want people to know?
We’re always going to be here when we’re needed! With regard to safety, we keep the line moving smoothly to accommodate social distancing by letting people know how things work in both English and Spanish. There’s been an added bonus–we found that our new table layout actually is getting clients through the line faster, so we plan on keeping this new system! 

Rumor has it, you add a little “flair” to your distributions?
Yes, I try to lighten spirits by playing music through my personal portable speaker. I find both our regular volunteers and the clients react positively when I put on something like the Earth Wind and Fire Pandora station. 

For information about our food programs, please visit foodbankccs.org/getfood or call 855-309-FOOD.

Read other interviews from some of our frontline Program staff

Frontline Q&A – Senior Programs

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Matt Harray – Direct Service Program Manager

How do we help seniors?
Senior Food Program distributions take place twice a month and are held at churches, senior centers and senior housing facilities. Seniors are able to get two bags of groceries which typically consist of items such as bread, pasta, canned goods, cheese and produce. We have 3500 households participating at 33 sites. It’s an incredible network.

What challenges are you facing in trying to feed seniors in this COVID-19 age?
We understand the concerns that seniors might have about leaving their homes to get food at a Senior Food Program distribution, and our response to that is we believe our sites are a safer alternative to going to a grocery store. Our distributions are held in large spaces and have fewer people. We control the supply chain and we control who is onsite volunteering. We understand we are serving a very vulnerable population, so we have put many safety protocols in place.

Who is eligible to participate in the Senior Food Program?
Anyone 55 or older who meets the income guidelines can come sign-up for the free program in their city or nearby city if they bring the following items with them:

  • Valid government ID
  • Proof they reside in Contra Costa County or Solano County (example: phone bill or PG&E bill)
  • Two reusable bags (encouraged)

For distribution times, dates and locations, please visit foodbankccs.org/getfood or call 855-309-3663 (FOOD).

Usually we bring a little extra food for walk-ups, so there is a good chance seniors could be given groceries the same day they register for the program. 

What else should seniors know?
Adults qualifying for the Senior Food Program can also participate in the Food Assistance Program and our Community Produce Program. We want seniors to get enough proper nutrition to keep themselves as healthy as possible. Also, don’t forget that as of last year, seniors receiving SSI can also apply for CalFresh. 

Read other interviews from some of our frontline Program staff

Frontline Q&A – Child Programs

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Anna Gorman – Child Programs and Extra Helpings Administrator

How do we nourish kids?
We’re continuing to partner with school districts in Contra Costa and Solano counties through our Farm 2 Kids program. Thankfully, all local school districts are stepping up and holding free lunch distributions for students during the school closures, and we’re providing them with weekly deliveries of supplemental food boxes and produce bags.

How have things changed because of the early school closures?
 It was crazy the first two weeks after schools closed. Trying to quickly make a new plan in unprecedented circumstances with eight different school districts was definitely a challenge. Now that the initial logistical work has been done, it’s eased up a little. Our school programs have been established for a long time and usually run like a well-oiled machine. Things are a lot more fluid now; I’m constantly communicating with our district contacts and warehouse managers because sometimes we have to make changes with very short notice.

What about your job is most rewarding?
I get to leave work every day and think, “Well, that mattered.” I have gotten to know many of our clients, and when they tell me how much the food we give them makes a difference in their lives, or how excited they are about the new produce I picked for the month, it’s the best feeling!

What are your biggest challenges?
I struggle with knowing that even though food banks are meant to be a short-term emergency resource, many people are forced to use them as a long-term solution to the systemic problem of hunger. That’s why I love hearing about the great work Cassidie and Mary Ann (our advocacy team) are doing to fight for our community in the higher echelons of government.

Read other interviews from some of our frontline Program staff

Hunger sidelines higher education

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Since 2017, the Food Bank has been partnering with local colleges to make sure students can worry more about exams than when they will eat again.

“I am able to get healthy food for me and my daughter while on campus which has really helped.” -College Pantry Participant

Although many people look back at their days of being a “poor college student” living on ramen noodles as some sort of rite of passage, hunger on college campuses today is a real problem affecting students from all walks of life.

Almost half of local college students struggle to afford food due to the increasing costs of housing, tuition, and books.

Though their ages span decades, all college students have the common desire to get a proper education and hunger should not get in their way. Some of these students are single parents, some are the first ones in their families to pursue higher education, and some are struggling to balance going to school with working a full-time job.

We hear their stories daily. David, who is now in his late 20’s, explained what it felt like to experience true hunger while he attended college, “To know that you can’t get that basic need of food met, which is a must-have for survival, was frightening.”

Another story we recently heard came from a young volunteer who was inspired to help at the Food Bank after what he saw his friend go through in college. His friend could no longer afford his apartment and he ended up living in his car for a while. “He wasn’t eating healthy and since he didn’t have access to a kitchen, he couldn’t cook. He wasn’t eating three meals a day, more like once a day and he ate as cheaply as possible. He became irritable and way more stressed.”

To combat this growing problem, the Food Bank partners with six local colleges through our College Pantry Program. Each college pantry operates with the help of a staff member and many student volunteers. Most pantries are open 5-days a week and enrolled students can pick up free nutritious groceries and ready-to-eat snacks at these mini-markets.
One student attending CSU East Bay shared with us, “I’m able to study more and worry less about what I’m going to eat.” This sentiment was the consensus when we recently surveyed junior college and 4-year university students participating in our college pantry programs. In fact, 97% reported being more focused in class since using their pantry.

When students have the necessary tools to succeed, such as proper nutrition, our entire community benefits. The College Pantry Program changes lives for those who are pursuing their education today, so they can better provide for themselves and their families tomorrow. We thank you for your support, because we simply couldn’t make this impact on our community without you.

YOUR GIFT TO END COLLEGE HUNGER WILL BE MATCHED

Right now you have the power to help college students focus on studying instead of worrying about being hungry. Give now to have your gift matched, dollar for dollar by John Muir Community Health Fund. Visit foodbankccs.org/collegematch to have your gift matched!

Helping local students from preschool to college

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Hunger is isolating for anyone, but especially to young people trying to figure out the world around them. For kids living with hunger, going back to school can mean going back to shame and embarrassment. Many students have to skip breakfast and/or don’t have enough food in their cupboards to pack a lunch, nor do they have the money to purchase a meal at school. The federal free-reduced lunch program provides a lifeline to these kids, but it’s not enough.

“You’re not yourself when you’re hungry,” explains a local high school senior and school pantry volunteer. “It’s tough to make decisions.”

The Food Bank has programs to specifically provide students from preschool through college with supplemental food to ensure everyone has a chance to thrive:

Food for Children

Once a month 580 children, ages four through six years old, receive a 30-pound box of nutritious high-protein food. The national program, WIC (the Federal Women, Infants, and Children program), refers qualifying families to the Food for Children program. The Food Bank created the program to fill the gap that can exist between children served under WIC and children served with lunch programs at schools.

Farm 2 Kids                                                                                                                        

Every week during the school year 10,000 children receive a three to five pound bag of produce to take home. To help children establish healthy eating habits, we partner with after school programs at elementary schools in low-income areas in eligible school districts.

School Pantry Program

The 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 monthly access to groceries on an as-needed basis.  The students are able to take the food home with them. The goal is to ensure that these students get the fuel they need to succeed.  The program currently serves 1,490 students and their families a month.

College Pantry Program

We provide food and support to food pantries at six local community college and one 4-year university campuses. Most are open 5-days a week and enrolled students with a school ID can pick up free groceries at these little mini-markets. Students are able to pick out what food they want according to their personal dietary restrictions or food preferences.

We thank you for your continued support of the Food Bank. Together we are fueling growing bodies and minds this back to school season.

 

Healthy summer meals for kids sees growth locally

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Student enjoying fruit at summer lunch site. Photo by Angelina Bell Photography.

In a follow up to our blog post dated July 11th, 2019, we had the opportunity to learn more about a local school district serving free meals through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). We had an opportunity to talk with Kristin Nisen from Brentwood Unified School District. We wanted to learn a little more… 

How many kids on average attend a Summer Lunch Program?

It varies, however, after relocating one of our sites to a large community park, the participation increased tremendously from an average of 17 kids a day to 170 kids a day! Our highest number of kids served in one day was 280! We also added activities for the kids to participate in each day. The parents are all so thankful for having a central area to get together with others and meet new families.  Many bring their kids to play at the kid’s park, get lunch and then go to the nearby waterpark.  

How do you feel this program makes a difference? During the school year in Brentwood, on an average day, we feed 1800 ‘free’ students that rely on the meals we are providing them and hopefully help relieve some worry and hardship on their parents. During the 7 weeks of summer break, these students either wouldn’t get the meals and/or it would create more hardship for their families to feed all their children. We are providing a hot meal with fresh fruits and vegetables and milk, as well as free activities for the kids to participate in. We are sending a positive message regarding the importance of nutrition and exercise.    

How do kids find out about the free lunches? This year we reached out by digital flyers via schools, flyers at all school cafes and offices, sent information to principals to share, on district webpage, on social media groups, Food Bank website, No Kids Hungry, reached out to city council members, and had two articles in the Brentwood Press.  Next year, I would like to reach out to more churches, apartment complexes, and nearby grocery stores.

What kind of feedback have you received? Parents are very grateful. I remember one mom came to me letting me know how thankful she was for having the program.  She has six kids and money is always tight. I’m not sure if these kids eat with us during the year on the meal benefit program or receive any other assistance, but the overall gratitude was amazing.

Free summer meals and produce help fight child hunger this summer

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We know behind every hungry child, there is a hungry family. Through our partnership with local qualifying school districts, kids receiving free lunches or breakfasts through the national Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) also get to take a bag of fresh produce to share with their family.

The SFSP is a nationwide program which gives critical food support to children 4-5 days a week during summer break. It helps fill the nutrition gap experienced by students who receive free or reduced-priced breakfasts and/or lunches during the school year, but the program is open to any child under the age of 18 needing a meal.

The harsh reality is that sometimes these kids can only count on these school meals for a steady source of fuel for their growing bodies. Without this program, there are kids who would be forced to skip daily meals in the summer.

Summer meals are served and produce is given out at schools and other central locations such as libraries and community centers. One mom who brought her daughter to get lunch told us the produce they receive from the Food Bank really helps when “you have to choose between buying your kid shoes and buying food.”

During the school year, the Food Bank’s Farm 2 Kids program allows students to take home fresh fruits and vegetables such as potatoes, onions, apples and oranges. However, the summer produce we give away in conjunction with SFSP consists of some of nature’s tastiest treasures including peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, and tomatoes! Often this premium-priced produce is out of low-income family budgets and is considered to be a real treat.

Learn more about local SFSP locations by visiting foodbankccs.org/summerlunch

 

 

Fighting hunger on college campuses

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You can’t learn when you are hungry, which is why we have programs that specifically focus on providing food for school-aged children. But what about the people seeking higher education? Almost half of local college students struggle to afford food due to the increasing costs of housing, tuition, and books. The Food Bank partners with local colleges to help combat this nationwide problem through our College Pantry Program.

Last month we started new partnerships with St. Mary’s College and CSU Maritime Academy. We are happy to be able to help serve the students at these new pantries as well as at existing pantries on the campuses of  CSU East Bay-Concord, Diablo Valley College, Los Medanos College and Contra Costa College.

Each college pantry operates with a staff member and many generous student volunteers. Most are open 5-days a week and enrolled students with a school ID can pick up free groceries at these little mini-markets. Students are able to pick out what food they want according to their personal dietary restrictions or food preferences.

Shelf-stable foods available include pasta, fruits, vegetables, soups, beans, and rice. The pantries that have refrigeration are able to offer eggs, milk and juice. A couple of the pantries have freezers, so they are able to distribute meat as well.

Each pantry is in charge of spreading the word on their campus. In addition to traditional flyers and newsletters, they often reach out to the masses via social media. Sometimes pantry representatives will speak directly to the students at the beginning of classes to ensure everyone knows about help is available.

Antoinette whose work-study job is at the food pantry on the CSU East Bay-Concord campus tells her fellow students, “Don’t feel ashamed to come in, we don’t want you to be hungry. Some students have whispered to me, ‘I have been hungry’–they always say it in a whisper.”

James Lande, the Food Bank’s College Pantry Coordinator, provides ongoing support to all the college pantries from daily operations and marketing to outreach and grant writing. In turn, these pantries are better able to serve students in need. James shares, “Pantry Coordinators tell me since starting a pantry on campus and working with the Food Bank, they have been able to greatly expand their presence on campus and improve the variety and nutritional options available. All of the college pantry partners have expanded their hours since opening.”

A recent Government Accountability Office report revealed the extent of college hunger, and schools have not only stepped up by opening pantries on campus, but they also welcome help promoting agencies and outside programs that can benefit their students. To aid with this effort, the Food Bank works with campuses and students to educate them on CalFresh. Many students don’t realize they qualify for this government assistance. A Community Relations Officer at Cal State East Bay explains it to students like this, “You get financial aid, now let’s get your food aid.” We also connect colleges in Contra Costa County with Contra Costa Health Services. They support the colleges by providing nutrition education materials and have even done cooking demonstrations on a few of the campuses.

We are inspired by these colleges who are not only discussing the issue of student hunger but are taking action as well. We will continue to expand this program to other campuses and we are even looking into partnering with local adult schools. We are committed to being there for those who are pursuing their education today, so they can better provide for themselves and their families tomorrow.

 

Your support is helping fire victims

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The Food Bank’s efforts to help during Northern California’s unprecedented fire season have been ongoing. The unpredictable nature of fire means things change quickly, but we have a team helping whenever and wherever we can be of assistance.

In case you missed our prior updates, you can catch up by checking our Facebook posts on August 9, August 24 and August 31. Though the CARR fire is finally 100% contained, the devastation remains and many residents remain displaced. One of our staff members deployed to the area reported back that “people are tired–VERY TIRED, the air is bad and smells of toxic chemicals.” She explained that even though the conditions are really hard–with an almost unbearable combination of heat and poor air quality–people are so very thankful that we are there for them.

Early on, we sent CalFresh outreach workers to the Redding area to help people affected by the fires apply for Disaster CalFresh. This federal program helps victims meet the temporary nutritional needs within a 30-day period following a natural disaster. Many of the people we met with were initially unclear about the benefits and assumed that they would not qualify because they aren’t eligible for traditional CalFresh. After we dispelled myths and clarified half-truths, people were surprised and relieved at the potential for benefits. Many spoke of complete loss and while CalFresh won’t replace everything in their refrigerator, freezer, and pantry, they were grateful for our outreach assistance.

Moving forward, here’s the latest update on our fire relief efforts:

  • Late last week it was decided that we’d continue weekly food distributions to Dignity Health Connected Living agencies through October to assist in the CARR fire recovery AND continue weekly food distributions to two low-income schools in Shasta County.
    • We are receiving, processing and transporting emergency boxes from Feeding America, as well as donations of cereal and shelf-stable groceries from Kellogg’s and C&S Wholesale Grocers.
    • We are donating and sending produce to the affected area.
  • We are continuing to send staff to oversee these distributions in Redding.
  • We are also communicating with agencies serving the Shasta and Siskiyou counties to see how we can help with the Delta fire AND with officials in Napa County to offer aid with the Snell Fire. 

It’s amazing what we can accomplish when we all work together for a common goal. Whether it’s fighting chronic hunger, or responding to a natural disaster, the Food Bank is prepared to help our neighbors get the food they need.

 

 

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[email protected]

Concord Location
P: 925-676-7543
F: 925-671-7933

Fairfield Location
P: 707-421-9777
F: 707-421-0205

DONATE FOOD
Concord Warehouse
4010 Nelson Ave., Concord, CA 94520
Monday - Thursday: 7:00 am - 7:00 pm
Friday: 8:00 am - 3:00 pm
Saturday - Sunday:  8:00 am - 3:30 pm

Fairfield Warehouse
2339 Courage Dr, Ste F, Fairfield, CA 94533
Monday through Friday: 7:00 am - 3:30 pm
Saturdays by appointment

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