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Get involved and make a difference

January 3, 2017 By Larry

Originally posted on the Vacaville Reporter:

“But what can I do?”

When the world’s problems seem to be overwhelming, that’s the first question many of us ask ourselves. The answer is GET INVOLVED. There are countless worthwhile organizations that are looking for people who are willing to help others in need. The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano is no exception.

Along with our financial donors, the Food Bank relies heavily on volunteers. In fact, committed people gave over 96,000 hours of their precious time to help ensure hungry people in our community had access to food last year. That’s the equivalent of 46 full-time employees! We would not be able to distribute the more than 20 million pounds of food a year and have 96 cents for every dollar go directly towards food programs if it weren’t for these coveted everyday heroes.

If you haven’t volunteered before and you are wondering what you’ll get out of it, all you need to do is do an Internet search on “benefits of volunteering.” You’ll learn that you’ll actually end up getting more than you give. Improving your mental and physical health, developing new skills, and creating new friendships are just some of the documented perks that come with philanthropic efforts.

Laura, a mother of four, started out as a Food Bank financial donor and then decided to deepen her involvement by coming in to volunteer. When asked why she volunteers, she replied with, “It’s quite simple, everyone needs to eat. I have volunteered at the produce distributions and have seen where my money goes. When you see all those people lined up for fresh fruits and veggies, you can see how many people need help with food.”

Rose initially got involved at the Food Bank by frequently volunteering in the warehouse while she was working full-time in the corporate world of banking. After recently retiring, she started providing much-needed assistance in the office. Rose explained, “I volunteer at the Food Bank because of the high energy and team spirit towards ending hunger, which is important to me. I now have knowledge about the far-reaching impact of the Food Bank; it’s like a big safety net to the community.”

We are thrilled that recently Diablo Magazine recently honored two of our beloved long-term volunteers. Married for 67 years, Fran and Vic, ages 90 and 94 respectively, have been helping out at the Food Bank for 15 years. They are passionate about the Food Bank’s Food for Children program. Fran shared, “We are excited to get up on a Friday morning and drive to Concord to fill boxes for children and see all of our friends. Vic added, “It’s so rewarding to be so involved in something that’s good.”

These volunteers all have something in common. One day they all decided to try something new. They opened themselves to a new experience that would help make our community a better place. We encourage you to do the same.

There are many ways for both adults and children to get involved at the Food Bank. Giving as little as two hours of your time can help change the world.

To learn more, visit www.foodbankccs.org.

Over 400 attendees fill Concord warehouse for Volunteer Recognition Lunch

October 31, 2016 By Guest

On Sunday, October 30^th, the Food Bank hosted well over 250 volunteers for a Volunteer Recognition Lunch at our Concord warehouse to celebrate their contributions towards ending hunger. This past year, our wonderful volunteers donated over 96,000 hours of their time in a myriad of ways!

Sharon Zeppegno, Volunteer Services Manager, described it as the highest turnout yet. Their Sunday afternoon was spent socializing, enjoying a catered lunch, and being recognized for their generous contributions.

From everyone at the Food Bank, thank you for sharing time and gifts as we work together to end hunger.

Check out all the pictures from the event on our Facebook page.

Behind The Scenes Look At How The Food Bank Makes A Difference

September 27, 2016 By Guest

Guest post by Tom Barnidge, Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Volunteer:

The single-file line began forming at least 30 minutes before the event was to start. There were men and women, old and young, tall and short. There were mothers pushing strollers, pre-schoolers hanging on to parents’ hands and seniors leaning on walkers and canes.

They were white, black, Hispanic, Asian, all united in a purpose this day: They came to fill their bags with 20 pounds of fruits and vegetables delivered by refrigerated truck and then piled high on folding tables on a San Pablo parking lot.

The Community Produce Program, which services neighborhoods far and wide, is only one of many ways that the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano helps put dinner on the tables of disadvantaged families. But until you see the operation in action, until you see the smiling faces and the twinkling eyes, you can’t appreciate what this program means to families struggling to get by.

On this day, a simmering Friday in September, about 200 participants — most indicating they had three or more dependents at home — patiently waited their turns to check in with a volunteer and fill their bags with three-pound portions of potatoes, onions, carrots, oranges, pears and apples. All waiting lines should be so orderly.

The truck’s twice monthly visits are keenly anticipated and its schedule well known, thanks to word-of-mouth communication by appreciative participants. Every visit is an important visit, of course, but some leave special memories behind.

On this occasion, it came from a youngster about 4 years old, who quietly followed his mother from station to station, boredom on his face, until he saw what awaited him on a table near the end.

“Wow,” he said. “Apples!” His eyes lit up.

It was a moment that reminds you why the Food Bank is so important.

Big Thanks to Rancho Solano!

July 20, 2016 By Jenny

Thanks to the generous residents and helpful volunteers of Rancho Solano for holding their 16^th Annual Food Drive, Thanksgiving in June.

They collected 2,351 pounds of food for the Food Bank! We are especially appreciative for the generous donation, since food donations tend to decrease down during the summer months.

Food Bank in Fairfield Needs Volunteers

July 5, 2016 By Larry

Originally posted in the Vacaville Reporter: The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano is facing a critical shortage of volunteers at our Fairfield warehouse. Though our Concord warehouse has an abundance of individuals, families and corporate groups willing to donate their time, it’s an ongoing challenge to meet the demands in our warehouse on the other side of the Benicia Bridge. In fact, in the past three months, only 25 percent of the available shifts in Fairfield were filled to capacity.

The need is great because most of our produce preparation occurs in our Fairfield facility. We take pride in that over half of the food we distribute consists of fresh produce. In order to get the fruit and vegetables out to our community members in need (from children to seniors), it needs to be sorted and bagged first.

If you’ve never helped out in our sorting room, you might be wondering what’s involved. It’s quite simple and all shifts only require a two or three hour time commitment. The Food Bank receives produce in vast cardboard bins. Volunteers move the produce from the large bins to smaller, more manageable, containers such as bags and boxes that are light enough to carry. During the process, produce is inspected and any produce that isn’t edible is removed.

Because we have over 90,000 hours of volunteer time gifted to us each year between the two warehouses, we have a computerized volunteer management system. It’s easy to look up available opportunities in Fairfield and register to be a volunteer by going to our website at www.foodbankccs.org/volunteer.

We make it convenient to volunteer by offering day shifts Monday through Saturday and shifts in the early evening on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

If you have children, we encourage you to introduce them to the rewarding experience of helping others. Children as young as 11 years old can volunteer when accompanied by an adult. The Food Bank is conveniently located near the Jelly Belly factory, so you can turn the day into a fun summer excursion.

If you have younger children, we encourage you to sign up for the next Family Food Sort on Saturday, July 16, from 9:00 to 11 a.m. At the monthly Family Food Sort event, the minimum age requirement for volunteering is lowered to 5 years old when accompanied by an adult.

Volunteering is a rewarding experience for people of all ages. We feel better about ourselves and our community when we are giving to something bigger. Encourage your friends and organizations to join you. The relationships we build when we work together with people from service clubs or faith communities makes us all feel part of a significant change.

It would not be possible for the Food Bank to provide food to people in need if we did not have dedicated supporters willing to offer hands-on help. Although sorting produce is definitely our greatest need right now, you can look at our website for other ways that you can assist. We urge you to join us in making our community better by signing up to be a volunteer today.

Help Us Celebrate 40 Years By Donating To Food Bank

July 28, 2015 By Larry

Originally posted on the Vacaville Reporter: It is common to dread turning forty, but we at the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano are proud of what we have accomplished as we turn the big 4-0. Today marks the 40th anniversary that our incorporation documents were filed.

To honor our 40th birthday, generous donors came together to make up the Friends of the Fortieth Fund. They contributed $40,000 to be used as a matching fund for other donors. In short, if community members rally together to contribute $40,000, we will actually receive $80,000 because of the dollar-for-dollar match.

What does this mean to the food-insecure people we serve? Since we are able to provide two meals for every dollar we receive, your donations (along with the matching funds) will allow us to provide 160,000 meals to children and seniors in our community.

The concept of a local food bank started with a borrowed Safeway trailer, parked in a church parking lot, and two employees who had access to trucks. When people applying for government assistance programs ran into delays, eligibility workers would refer them to these pantries to obtain emergency food.

At the beginning, we were providing food to 19 emergency food pantries. We now serve almost 200 pantries and 1 in 8 residents.

We are no longer an agency exclusively providing short-term assistance. We still support pantries that assist people on an emergency basis, but we also are an essential part of the ongoing community response to hunger.

We have developed specific programs that give food to low-income seniors and low-income children. We also make available donated food from the US Department of Agriculture to low-income people in Solano and Contra Costa counties. Our Community Produce Program provides fresh fruit and vegetables at clinics, churches and schools in low-income neighborhoods. We are part of a network that food-insecure people use to help provide for their families.

Our ongoing job is to continue providing food to people in need, while working to end hunger. What are some of the things we do to end hunger? We partner with governmental, philanthropic and other community-based programs to try to increase participation in the CalFresh program. We are working to help more children benefit from the School Lunch Program and Summer Meal Program. We engage the community and advocate at the Capitol so we can help everyone obtain the good nutrition they need to thrive.

Our founders knew that saving food from waste was a good idea. The same principle guides us today, as we see what food donations are available and determine how best to use them to meet the needs of the people we serve. However, food donations alone don’t cover the need within our community. We need to also purchase food in order to meet the demand. And you guessed it, purchasing food takes money.

If you are interested in making a donation to the Food Bank in honor of our 40th anniversary of serving the community, you can do so at www.foodbankccs.org/40for40.

We humbly thank our community members for your continued support during the past forty years.

Holiday Spirit Of Giving Is Needed The Whole Year Long

July 14, 2015 By Larry

Originally posted on the Vacaville Reporter: When I was a child (a long time ago), the newspaper had a little box listing the number of days until Christmas. Maybe it was an advertisement paid for by retailers, but it certainly made me count down to the ultimate holiday. As an adult, it is amazing how fast the holidays sneak up on us. With that said, we are officially more than halfway to the 2015 holiday season.

Different wintertime holidays provide opportunities for introspection and celebration to honor important cultural events. The holidays are a time when people are most likely to take action in making a difference in their community. Generous people provide the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano with food donations, financial donations and volunteer hours.

If you looked at a graph of the Food Bank’s support month by month in all three areas, you’d see the enormous peaks in November and December.

The challenge for the Food Bank is that the people we serve are hungry every day. We assist food-insecure people all year long. We stretch the food we receive during the holidays as far as we are able.

However, we end up purchasing more food during the summer to offset the decline in food donations and food drives. The National Association of Letter Carriers helps us out by conducting a large-scale food drive in the spring.

We need this enthusiasm for hosting food drives year round from both big organizations and individuals wanting to make a difference.

Whether you want to host a food drive or drop nonperishable food off at an existing one, visit us at www.foodbankccs.org/fooddrive for more information.

There often is a spike in financial donations during the holidays from both corporations and individuals.

People want their neighbors to all have a good holiday meal. To help people receive proper nourishment all year long, we make it easy to donate on a monthly basis. To find out more about becoming a pledge donor, visit www.foodbankccs.org/donate.

Even though we expand our volunteer opportunities during the holidays, we often have to limit the number of groups we can safely accommodate because of the increased interest in volunteering. During the summer, we have more perishable fresh produce available to us than anytime of the year, so we need volunteers to help sort it in a timely manner.

In fact, an opportunity is coming up on Saturday, July 18, for families with young children, ages 5 and older, to volunteer. Our Fairfield warehouse is hosting its monthly Family Food Sort. Details and registration information are available at www.foodbanksccs.org/familyfoodsort.

The holiday season is a time for us to come together as families and as a unified community.

I often wish that the holiday spirit, especially the desire to help others, were with us throughout the year. The need to feed people in our community does not go away after the holidays. Why wait until November to take action? When people show the holiday spirit all year long, the gift they give is a strong and healthy community.

Summer Programs An Opportunity To Help

June 23, 2015 By Larry

Originally posted on The Vacaville Reporter: After wishing the school year away, students and parents can sometimes find themselves in a rut once summer arrives. It often doesn’t take long before parents hear the dreaded words, “I’m bored.”

In an effort to limit their children’s time in front of electronic devices, many parents come up with lists of things their children can do over summer. The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano has got some ideas to add to that list.

In July the Food Bank will host two special events that allow young children to volunteer. On July 18, in our Fairfield warehouse, we will host our monthly Family Food Sort. Family Food Sorts are volunteer opportunities designated for families with young children. They occur on the third Saturday of every month. Families work together to bag produce that will be distributed through our Community Produce Program. The children attending will learn that the food that they are sorting will be given to people who don’t have enough to eat.

On July 19, at our Concord warehouse, we will host our (not quite) quarterly Family Volunteer Day. This is a popular event that also allows parents or grandparents to introduce their young children to volunteerism. The children work side-by-side with their family members to do a fun sorting project. They get to experience the joy of helping others in need firsthand. Families also get to go on a guided tour of the warehouse.

What makes these events unique is that the food bank’s normal minimum age requirement is 11 years old. With both Family Volunteer Days and Family Food Sorts, we welcome children as young as 5 years old to attend.

Shifts fill up quickly; to reserve a shift at either function, visit www.facebookccs.org/events.

If your family can’t make these upcoming events, there are other ways that your child can help the Food Bank on their own time.

If your child likes to cook, encourage them to host a bake sale or lemonade stand. If your child is crafty, suggest that they sell their creations to others. They will get a taste of what is involved in running a business and they can opt to donate all or a portion of the proceeds to the Food Bank.

In honor of our 40th anniversary, their financial donations can be matched dollar-for-dollar. Visit www.foodbankccs.org/40th for more information.

Another way children can help the Food Bank is by holding a traditional food drive. Your child can coordinate a food drive in conjunction with your annual block party, a Fourth of July gathering or any kind of function this summer. They can make flyers and notify friends, family and neighbors that they are collecting food on behalf of the Food Bank.

Whether your child collects food or funds, they will receive a thank you letter from the food bank for their efforts and donation. More information about holding a food drive can be found at www.foodbankccs.org/fooddrive.

This is the time of year when donation levels at the Food Bank drop considerably. Having children think of people in need and encouraging them to take action can simultaneously alleviate their boredom and stock our shelves. It’s one thing to tell children about people who are less fortunate. It’s another thing to actually empower them to do something about it.

When children start to do volunteer work, they become vested in their community and realize that they can make a difference, no matter their age.

Giving, Volunteering Honors Legacy Of MLK

January 13, 2015 By Larry

When the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was declared I don’t think people realized it would evolve into a day that is focused on volunteer service. It’s very appropriate the day has become dedicated to community service, as it highlights the role giving back plays as part of American life. For those of us old enough to remember, when the federal holiday was declared many states and localities did not observe the day. Recent events demonstrate that the struggles of the civil rights era are still not resolved and when the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was enacted by the federal government, there was resistance to honoring the day. But as time has passed, the holiday has become more universally observed, and that is because the holiday honors the work Martin Luther King Jr. did to help make a better community.

Today many people celebrate the holiday by participating in a volunteer activity that helps make a stronger community. Volunteering is an American tradition that goes back generations. It is a tradition that when people identify a problem they come together to try to help. Service clubs like Rotary, Kiwanis, Soroptomists or Lions clubs exist so members can act as volunteers to make a stronger community. Faith communities often have a social mission committee that focuses on the role they should play in dealing with community issues. Non-profit organizations have a distinct role in our society because we realize there are some things that are done better by organizations that effectively use volunteers in their work.

The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano depends on volunteers. We have more than 88,000 hours of volunteer time given to us each year. That includes people answering our phones, sorting the food donations we receive and helping with the food distributions we do in the community. Our Board of Directors are all volunteers, the people who help us prepare thank you letters for donors are volunteers, and the people who help bag produce for distribution are volunteers. We depend on people being willing to give their time and talent in order to make our work possible.

Like every other non-profit organization in our community, we need your help. Whether you want to help the Food Bank, a homeless shelter or an education program at your local school, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is an excellent reminder of how much your help is needed. Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech is one of the most moving statements ever made about the society we hope we will all see one day. Everyone should be judged on the content of their character, not the color of their skin or any other factor. By volunteering and giving back to our society, we help move ourselves closer to that goal. When we give, we enrich ourselves because we understand the problems others face and what we can do to make a difference. When we give back, we honor Dr. King’s memory.

Grateful For Food Drives During The Holidays

December 16, 2014 By Larry

Originally posted on The Vacaville Reporter: The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano is lucky to have the support of CBS 5 KPIX and Whole Foods in organizing the Food for Bay Area Families food drive. Whole Foods helps us collect food at their stores which helps us provide food to those in need in our community. But equally important to us in our efforts to fight hunger, Whole Foods and KPIX help educate the community about why people in our community need food assistance.

KPIX is incredibly generous in giving Bay Area food banks the opportunity to publicize businesses and organizations that help us feed those in need. During the Food for Bay Area Families effort, KPIX carves a minute or two out of their noon and six o’clock newscasts so Bay Area food banks can bring people on to talk about the good things they have done to help us feed those in need. We bring international companies like Chevron on to talk about their financial support of our work, or bring on local Rotary clubs to talk about helping us obtain bright orange tee shirts branded “Go Orange to Fight Hunger” for Hunger Action Month. Eight Rotary clubs in the Diablo Valley helped us get the message out that hunger is a real issue in our community.

We had Pick-N-Pull on the air to talk about the support they provide at their Fairfield and Richmond stores. They do everything from asking their customers to donate to giving us the change they find in the cars that come to them. Pick and Pull’s parent company Schnitzer Steel also makes a matching donation, further helping us in our work.

The people from Forma Gym in Walnut Creek talked about the holiday run they staged on Thanksgiving Day that raises money to help the Food Bank’s work. They put on a phenomenal event which reached a caring community (they got MC Hammer to help sponsor the event!). We also had a chance to acknowledge the CSAA Insurance Group, a AAA Insurer for the help they give the Food Bank’s efforts to provide food to those in need in our community.

We are grateful to KPIX and Whole Foods for giving us the opportunity to publicly thank the generous individuals, businesses, service clubs and community members who make our work possible. But I will admit that we are also hoping that when people see what others in the community do, they will decide to take steps to make a difference as well. We know that no one in our country should go hungry and people will take action to help those who need food. When we can show that those we put on the news make a difference by giving food, money or time, we are helping to build a community that cares. That community will make a difference in the lives of their neighbors who need food.

Clayton Valley Concord Sunrise Rotary Lives up to Service Above Self Motto

December 4, 2014 By Guest

Guest post by Rotary Member Hugh Toloui: A group of volunteers from the Rotary Club of Clayton Valley Concord Sunrise have been rolling out of bed in the crack of dawn every Tuesday morning and have come to the Food Bank to serve. They have done so regularly and faithfully for the past nearly eleven years. Up to the present, they have sorted and packed nearly two million pounds of donated food that are collected in those familiar barrels as well as those from the large chain stores, boy scouts, mail carriers, etc.

Why the donated food need to be sorted, you may ask? Before the food is distributed to the needy via some over one hundred pantries, dozens of charity organizations, shelters, etc., they need to be checked to weed out the out-of-dates, dented and damaged, proper labeling, etc., and boxed in some 16 different categories.

This group of dedicated Rotarians have indeed tried to live up to the lofty Rotary motto: “Service Above Self”. Serving at the Contra Costa / Solano Food Bank is one of this Club’s many domestic and International service projects. Knowing that the beneficiaries are the needy and the less fortunate, adds an extra dimension of satisfaction to this service project.

Scouts Help Feed Families In Need This Holiday Season

November 13, 2014 By Larry

The generous support from the community makes the work of Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano possible. What we ask is quite straightforward; we need people to donate food, give volunteer time or donate money. By combining those three things together, in different amounts from different people, we distributed over twenty million pounds of food to people in need last year. The amazing thing for me is the creative ways people find to tie their personal style to helping us in our work.

For example, part of being a Boy Scout is doing a “good turn”. Boy Scouts know that they have a responsibility to improve their community, so the national organization endorses the Scouting for Food drive. Scout troops reach out to their neighbors, placing door hangers on people’s front doors. They come back the following week, picking up bags of food the community wants to share. Scouting for Food is an incredible one-day effort, brings the Food Bank over 130,000 pounds of food. Coming in the middle of November, this donated food gives us a perfect start providing food donations to the charities preparing to distribute holiday baskets.

Behind the volunteer work the Scout troops are doing, the Food Bank provides the support they need to succeed. Scout troops pick up the food donations with their parents on Saturday, November 15 and they return it to a central location (usually a church or school parking lot) where the Food Bank has placed bins to collect the food. Scout troops are at those locations as well, overseeing the consolidation of the donations. Food comes in to these collections sites all day, and then the Food Bank trucks pick food up and bring it back to our warehouse.

Scouting for Food brings in more than three trailer loads of food which we need to distribute quickly. Volunteers from corporations, service clubs, faith communities (and even some Scout troops) come to our warehouse to help sort the donations we have received. Volunteers sort the food into seventeen different categories, putting things like peanut butter, tuna, canned fruit and canned vegetables in separate boxes. With this sorting done, Food Bank partner agencies receive the food they need to help the people they feed during the holidays.

The effort involved in getting the food from Scouting for Food into the hands of hungry people is done mostly by volunteers. Volunteer Scouts collect the food and we help by transporting what they have raised. Community volunteers come to our warehouse to sort the food. Staff members roll bins of unsorted food into the sorting room so volunteers can prepare it for the volunteer-run agencies that provide food to those in need. These incredible volunteers enable us to supply millions of pounds of donated food to a community in need.

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