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    Clinical Effort Shows that Sometimes Food is the Best Medicine

    February 8, 2019 By Rachel Leave a Comment

    Originally posted by Contra Costa Health Services

    Patients visiting our health centers are now being regularly screened for hunger when they come in for their medical appointments.

    At intake, patients are given a form that asks if they have been unable to afford food or have been worried about running out of food. If patients mark “yes” to any of the food insecurity questions, they are given a referral to the Food Bank Contra Costa and Solano, which then helps those patients sign up for CalFresh (food stamps).

    “We know that food insecurity is linked to poor health outcomes,” said Dr. Michelle Wong, head of our Integrative Health Program. “By rolling out universal food security screening at all clinics with an immediate referral to the Food Bank, we are showing our system recognizes food security as vital to patients’ health.”

    The universal food-insecurity screenings are part of a broader “food as medicine” campaign at CCRMC & Health Centers to address other factors in people’s lives that impact health besides disease. In recent years, CCRMC/HC has begun incorporating wraparound services for food security and healthy eating – from free weekly assistance with CalFresh sign-ups to offering free produce in clinics to teaching patients how to cook and eat healthier on a budget through group medical visits.

    After a successful pilot, the food-insecurity screenings – also known as “hunger vital signs” –started systemwide at all our health centers in December. Food Bank representatives are regularly onsite at various health centers and can often provide immediate assistance following medical visits.

    For more information, contact Dr. Gabriela Sullivan at [email protected].

    Government shutdown ends, hardship continues

    February 4, 2019 By Carly Leave a Comment

    The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano is relieved congressional leaders and the administration reached a deal last week to temporarily re-open the federal government. However, we remain deeply concerned about the lasting impact this shutdown will have for federal workers and contractors, food assistance recipients, and emergency food providers like the Food Bank.

    While federal workers will receive back pay, more than a million federal contract employees will not. This is a significant financial impact, as almost 10% of their yearly pay was lost during the shutdown. We anticipate that both federal workers and contractors will continue to need food assistance as they recover from this financial hurdle and brace for the possibility of another closure.

    The uncertainty of the shutdown also caused an early issuance of February Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Families and individuals received February benefits on January 16. This has created a “SNAP gap” that is likely to cause significant financial strain for SNAP participants, who will go 40 to 60 days without a benefit payment. While the total amount of nutrition assistance will not change, the long gap between the availability of benefits will cause hardship for many households and further strain the emergency food assistance network.

    SNAP typically provides families with about two to three weeks of food, and a third of all recipients already rely on food banks to make ends meet for the remainder of the month. In addition to creating a great amount of confusion, this prolonged gap between nutrition benefit payments will create an unprecedented strain on emergency food networks like ours.

    Click here to watch the KTVU story that recently ran about a volunteer personally impacted by the shutdown.

    There is also the very real concern that an agreement on a long-term spending bill may not be reached by February 15 and we could have another shutdown. If this occurs, the same budgetary provision used to pay out February benefits could be utilized to distribute April benefits early. While this may be necessary in order to ensure that people receive April benefits, it would create another straining and confusing SNAP gap. If the government were to shut down again for an extended period of time, May SNAP benefits would face an uncertain future.

    The Food Bank is calling on the administration and Congress to reach a long-term compromise as soon as possible in order to allow the federal government to remain open and alleviate the stress, hunger, and hardship the partial shutdown has caused for millions of Americans.

    Tell your elected officials today: the government MUST stay open. Every elected official – from the White House and halls of Congress to local and state leaders – needs to understand that nearly 40 million Americans’ food assistance is on the line if the government shuts down again.

    Carly Finkle is the Policy and Advocacy Manager for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano

    Remembering Linda Locke

    January 16, 2019 By Rachel

    Food Bank Founder and long-time supporter, Linda Locke, passed away on Christmas Eve. In celebration of the gift she gave our community, we share with you a little background of her early days in food banking.

    Linda Locke was a graduate student, wife and mother when she got the assignment of a lifetime in 1975. While working for Contra Costa County Social Services, she was tasked with finding a way to prevent central county food pantries from running out of food before the month was over. Her early work developing a food program called the Community Food Coalition grew to become the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano you know today.

    Linda was always driven by her passion to help others, so she took off running. At the time, approximately 370 families needed help with food each month.  Linda personally spoke with each pantry in the county to see what was needed to strengthen their service. The answer was collaboration. 

    • Create a primary fundraising source for food acquisition.
    • Increase the size of food donations and receive wholesale pricing, since no one pantry could achieve this alone.
    • Store the food in a central warehouse that pantries could access as they had the capacity. 

    Linda was never shy and used her love of public speaking to acquire distribution trucks and large-scale food donations. She was also instrumental in the creation of California legislation to ease the liability of companies who donated food in good faith.

    Linda was relocated to other areas of county work in 1976, but her short time in food banking created a lasting legacy. Executive Director Larry Sly recalls, “She created a food bank out of thin air.” The Community Food Coalition went from enough food to provide 30,000 meals in a year to our current organization providing 18 million meals a year. 

    Larry goes on to say “Personally speaking, I am grateful Linda created the best career for me I could have ever had. But more importantly, I am glad Linda created a program that continues to work toward her dream of ending hunger.” 

     

    Photos: Top left: Larry Sly, Linda Locke and Ed Rimer, the first Executive Director of the Food Bank. Bottom left: Juan collecting onions from a local grower. Right: Linda at the 40th-anniversary celebration of the organization she started.

    Government shutdown’s impact on hunger

    January 15, 2019 By Carly

    Last week the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that, despite the ongoing federal government shutdown, they will continue to fund federal nutrition programs through February. 

    The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano is relieved that important benefits like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as CalFresh), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and school meals will remain available for the time being to provide assistance to those who need it.

    We are, however, deeply concerned about the fact that households in California already received their February CalFresh benefits today, January 15th. If the government does not reopen or specifically appropriate funds for nutrition assistance, there is not enough in federal reserves to cover the cost of March benefits.

    If funds are available for March CalFresh benefits, families and individuals will still experience a significant gap in between their benefit payments. CalFresh typically provides families with about two to three weeks of food, and a third of all recipients already rely on food banks to make ends meet. In addition to creating a great amount of confusion, this prolonged gap between nutrition benefit payments will create an unprecedented strain on emergency food networks like ours.

    For every meal our food bank provides, federal programs like CalFresh provide twelve.

    Furthermore, as furloughed federal employees and contractors missed their first paycheck last week, we anticipate an increase in demand for food assistance from families and individuals who are experiencing hardship due to the shutdown. To help bridge the gap until the government reopens, furloughed workers and CalFresh households are eligible to receive food assistance from the Food Bank.

    Unfortunately, during the shutdown the USDA will not be able to provide our food bank with funding to help offset the cost of distributing federally provided nonperishable goods into our community. This additional cost is not something anticipated in our budget and will be harder to cover over time. 

    The Food Bank is prepared to support the community through any crisis, and this shutdown is no different. However, we remain deeply concerned that demand will exceed our capacity if these critical programs do not continue to receive funds. Please call your members of Congress today and tell them to reopen the government immediately.

    Take action and

    • Call the Capitol switchboard and ask to be connected to your Representative or Senator (202) 224-3121
    • Call the President (202) 456-1111

    Submit a comment to the President: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

    You made 2018 a powerful year for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano

    January 8, 2019 By Rachel

    What you helped us achieve in 2018

    You embodied the spirit of community by pitching in with our fire-relief efforts in Mendocino and Butte counties. Our increased work in Butte County continues indefinitely as we deliver food each week to people getting back on their feet.

    Your support fueled the Community Produce Program 7 days a week at 69 sites. This critical program nourishes over 26,000 households each month that might not have access to produce otherwise.

    After a long struggle between Hunger Fighters and the State SSI recipients can finally qualify for CalFresh which will pull many seniors and persons with disabilities out of poverty.

    Grocery recovery has been at the core of our work since 1975 and never stopped growing. In 2018 we recovered 4 million pounds of still-great food like meat, produce and dairy from local grocery stores including new partners in 2018 – Costco and Raley’s.

    You gave yourself! With well over 100,000 volunteer hours we couldn’t operate a day without you.

    Goals we will achieve together in 2019

    Hunger has a detrimental effect on health. A large number of our clients report having diabetes, high blood pressure and depression/anxiety. In 2019 we will expand partnerships with health clinics and doctors to prescribe nutritious food and improve the health of our community.

    We will continue to advocate for job training and workforce development instead of harmful cuts to safety net programs like CalFresh for job seekers and low-wage workers.

    We are working with partners to grow our Grocery Recovery Program to exceed 130 stores including new food rescue from Trader Joe’s.

    Find out how you can give monthly to change lives daily at foodbankccs.org/Nourish365

     

    Food Bank committed to helping victims of Camp Fire and other disasters

    December 4, 2018 By Jenny

    When a community is affected by a large-scale disaster, food banks serve a critical role as “second responders.” They provide food and water in the immediate aftermath and offer longer-term food assistance to people rebuilding their lives.

    When the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano worked with four other Bay Area food banks to develop an emergency response plan a few years ago, we had visions of needing it for a crippling earthquake, not fires of unprecedented magnitude. The objective of this mutual aid agreement is to be able to quickly coordinate efforts and concentrate support where we are needed. The plan was activated for the first time during the Santa Rosa area fires last year. With the recent devastation caused by the Camp Fire in Butte County, that plan has officially been activated once again.

    As a member of Feeding America, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano has an established ongoing partnership with nonprofit agencies serving Butte County and the surrounding area. Now that we have activated the emergency response plan, the other Bay Area food banks, along with Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, have all agreed to help us expand the capacity of our North State partner agencies. While the other food banks are assisting in transporting and warehousing the disaster relief food, we are conducting food distributions directly to the displaced victims to help meet the demand.

    “Our hearts break for our neighbors north of us in Butte County,” said Larry Sly, our Executive Director. “We’re sending food, water and staff so children and families who are devastated by the Camp Fire will have some comfort and support during their greatest time of need.”

    The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano’s new distributions are taking place in Chico and Oroville twice a month as long as our services are needed. The activation of the emergency response plan during the Santa Rosa fires taught all food banks the importance of building a flexible plan and being ready to adjust when necessary.

    With their eyes welling up with tears, survivors of the fires in Butte County have been sharing their heartbreaking stories with us. Most of the people we’ve met have never before needed food assistance, yet they are now having to turn to us.

    If you know of anyone in the affected area needing assistance, please share this flyer with them.

    We will continue to serve the needs of Solano County and Contra Costa County residents struggling with hunger, in addition to providing emergency support to fire victims in Butte County. And as we take care of today’s increasing needs, we have to continue preparing for the next catastrophe. The Bay Area food bank’s emergency response plan has now been activated twice in just a little over a year, so we know it’s not a matter of if–but when–we’ll be needed again.

    The stronger our collective safety net is in the event of a disaster, the faster our communities will be able to get back on their feet.

     

     

    Scouts show their commitment to fighting hunger

    December 1, 2018 By Jenny

    A week after leaving door hangers to remind people of the upcoming Scouting for Food, local Cub Scout Calvin Burt and his den returned to the same Pleasant Hill neighborhoods to pick up donated food on November 17th. This was Calvin’s 4th year participating in this annual event and like always, he got a thrill out of spotting the food at participating houses. Normally he and his den would walk, but with the smoke-filled skies resulting from the fires in Butte County, their families drove half the route.

    Calving shared, “After we collected the food, we drove to the church and dropped it off in the boxes at the church. The Boy Scouts helped me put it in the box. The box goes into the trailer and then it gets delivered to the people who need it.”

    Scouting for Food is the second largest nation-wide food drive. Though Calvin collected more this year than in any other (19 bags), the overall amount of food donated in Contra Costa and Solano counties was down 15% this year. It’s speculated that the poor air quality from the fire in Butte County played a role in the decline.

    To the people who left a bag of groceries on their porch for the Scouts to pick up, Calvin says, “Thank you, we appreciate your donation.” And to the people on the receiving end, he also has a message: “You’re welcome and we hope you enjoy your food.”

    7 Ways to help during the holidays!

    November 29, 2018 By Jenny

    There are places to go, people to see and things to do in the busy month of December…why not fight hunger along the way? Here are 7 ways you can help during the holidays.

    PLACES TO GO

    1. Grocery Shopping:

    • Whole Foods Markets and Whole Foods 365 customers will have the option to donate their 5-cent reimbursement to Bay Area food banks for each shopping bag they bring in and use. 
    • Safeway shoppers can purchase a “hunger bag”, a pre-filled bag of groceries, for $10 and donate it to the Food Bank during check-out.
    • Raley’s customers can make a $10 donation at the register or online, which will provide more than 20 meals to a family in need.

    PEOPLE TO SEE

    2. Visit Santa: 

    • Help fill up a decorated public transit WestCAT bus with both food AND toys for families in need in Pinole on December 12 or Hercules on December 14 and catch up with the man in red.
    • Santa will be at the Danville Livery every Saturday and Sunday in December until Christmas. Please bring canned foods for their food drive.

    THINGS TO DO

    3. Give on someone’s behalf:  Right now when you donate in someone’s honor this holiday season, we will mail your honoree a reusable limited-edition shopping bag as a tangible reminder of this meaningful gift. 

    4. Shop online: Fight hunger next time you shop Amazon by logging in through www.smile.amazon.com, select Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano from the list of partners, then shop as usual. Amazon Foundation will donate 0.5% of your purchases to the Food Bank!

    5. Fundraise for the Food Bank: Give nutritious food without lifting a can by encouraging others to contribute to your virtual food drive. 

    6. Go ice-skating:  For every ticket that is collected at the Walnut Creek on Ice rink, Contra Costa Oncology will make a donation to the Food Bank. 

    7. Service your HVAC: Perfect Star Heating and Air Conditioning is donating $10 for every tune-up performed through January 31st.

                   

    DeSaulnier: Trump food-stamp cuts would increase hunger

    November 20, 2018 By Guest

    Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

    By MARK DESAULNIER |

    Published in the Mercury News: November 20, 2018 at 6:45 am | UPDATED: November 20, 2018 at 12:55 pm
     

    As we sit down for Thanksgiving dinner, let’s think of the millions of Americans who don’t know where their next meal will come from — and the millions more who will be in the same predicament by next Thanksgiving if the president has his way.

    Following Donald Trump’s unprecedented giveaway to billionaires and corporations, he lamented “a person who is not working at all and has no intention of working at all is making more money and doing better than the person that’s working his and her ass off.”

    He acted by attacking social safety-net programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the program formerly known as food stamps and now known in California as CalFresh. SNAP is the nation’s largest domestic food assistance program that gives financial support to families that cannot always afford to put food on the table.

    The president and congressional Republicans are using the budget on this crusade to undermine SNAP. In his 2019 budget, President Trump proposes slashing SNAP by $17.2 billion, which would leave at least 4 million people hungry.

    Republicans have also proposed funding cuts through reauthorization of the Farm Bill by trimming as much as $75 per month from monthly benefits for up to 1.1 million families.

    Farm Bill negotiations are currently underway and, while we cannot predict the outcome, it is clear that House Republicans and the president are after a funding cut however they can get it. And they want to get this done before Democrats, who do not support these cuts, take over the majority in the House in January.

    The administration is not leaving the cutting to Congress, though, and has proposed its own way to hinder the program. Currently, the rules of the program require all SNAP recipients who are able-bodied adults without dependents to be employed at least 20 hours a week. Recognizing regional differences in access to work, states or localities can apply for a waiver to this rule to decrease the hardship on families.

    The administration proposes a rule change that would eliminate waivers altogether except in exceedingly rare circumstances. This change would go back on more than 20 years of precedent and would endanger benefits nationwide.

    California had a statewide waiver for nearly a decade before it expired this year, but most counties still have individual waivers. By this time in 2019, 52 of the state’s 58 counties could still be covered by waivers. Those counties would be in danger of losing those waivers if the administration’s rule change goes into effect. Further, if the state goes through another economic downturn, it would be at risk of not qualifying for future waivers.

    The administration’s proposal is still in draft form, but it is almost universally recognized that the administration will wield its power to see this through in one form or another. It could take months or longer to go into effect.

    While work is the best path to self-sufficiency, threatening someone with hunger is cruel and in no way incentivizes employment. Our duty as a nation is to provide for all Americans and ensure that they can live healthy and successful lives. Federal nutrition programs reflect that commitment.

    Rather than cutting funding and imposing arbitrary requirements, we should invest in job training and workforce development while also protecting successful safety-net programs like CalFresh. With additional support, we will see much more success in assisting families to enter the workforce and attain well-paying jobs, which in the long term can help them transition off CalFresh when they are ready.

    The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano has already facilitated two community-wide meetings on the topic and local community colleges are poised to roll out employment and training programs on their campuses early next year.

    This holiday season, I am grateful to live in a community that is already coming together to protect our most vulnerable residents. We must all continue to fight Trump’s policies and protect nutrition programs and those they serve so that everyone can enjoy a plentiful Thanksgiving — this year and all the years to come.

    Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, represents most of Contra Costa County.

     

    Guest Blog: My behind-the-scenes experience at a food distribution

    November 5, 2018 By Guest

    Enid is part of the Donor Services team at the Food Bank and was happy to get a chance to help out at a food distribution. She shared her experience with others within the organization; here’s what she had to say:

    Recently I got an opportunity to get out of the office to participate in distributions for our Food For Children and Food Assistance Program in Antioch. The first thing I noticed was how much work went into setting up and disassembling a single distribution. I was impressed to see that everything worked like a well-oiled machine, from taking out the tables from their custom place in the van to bagging the bread and produce in a production line, to putting up the shade canopies.

    The volunteers were an integral part of the whole process, from setting up tables to bagging non-perishables to give out. Most of these volunteers are regulars and knew exactly how things should be run and helped me understand what to do. One volunteer told me they come to help but stay for the camaraderie.

    It was really good for me to see and interact with the people we all work so hard to feed. It puts things in perspective.

    I would be remiss without saying that none of this would happen as efficiently and effectively without Julie and Mullie. Together, they have worked at the Food Bank for a combined 54 years (!) and are a fantastic duo. The food distribution worked so smoothly because of their expertise at what they do. I’m really glad I had this opportunity.

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