Category: Programs

Tackling College Hunger | Annie’s Story

December 20, 2018

Some college students talk about the “Freshman 15,” and gaining weight when starting school. But for other students, the financial burden of tuition and books often means going hungry.  In fact, the US Government Accountability Office released a report recently that quantifies how large a problem college hunger has become.

Annie is one such student who struggles to feed herself many weeks out of the year. She’s studying at UCSF for a health care career and utilizes the Food Bank’s campus pantry. “The market has revolutionized my routine,” says Annie. “I exclusively get my food here. I’m eating healthier and wouldn’t be getting my fruits and veggies otherwise.

“Food insecurity is very real if you don’t come from a family that can provide you with a weekly stipend. Having all this debt, you’re kind of in crisis mode all the time. Many students only eat one meal a day. You can’t study; you’re stressed out all the time; and it has traumatic effects on your body.

“I am undyingly grateful to the Food Bank donors. Because of your generosity, I’m able to eat healthier, take care of myself, and give back by caring for patients. Thank you for investing in my health, so I can invest in the health of others.”

Yum Videos | Delicious, Budget-Friendly Meals

December 6, 2018

Learn how to make healthy, easy to prepare meals and snacks by watching these “Yum Videos,” produced by our Nutrition Education Team.

Spaghetti Squash with Homemade Marinara Sauce

A new way to have pasta – and it’s vegetarian.

Apple Slaw

Step-by-step instructions on how to create a quick, nutritious summer snack.

Whole Wheat Pasta

A fast, cheap and easy way to add fiber, B vitamins and protein to your diet.

Roasted Butternut Squash 

A super-easy, delicious recipe to turn that butternut squash into a wonderful meal for two!

Watermelon Salsa

A healthy, refreshing recipe that will add a little spice to your next barbecue!

Rainbow Ramen Noodles

Eat the rainbow! This recipe incorporates a variety of nutrient-rich produce into a quick, delicious – and beautiful! – meal.

Peanut Butter & Banana

Check out 2 tasty ways to make a protein-rich snack in this short video.

Sign up for our eNewsletter so you don’t miss a single video, as we roll out more of these incredible, edible cinematic masterpieces.

 

Hailey’s Story | The Helpers Need Help Sometimes 

November 13, 2018

Someday, UC San Francisco medical student Hailey hopes to save many lives – but for right now, she is the one who needs a little bit of saving.

The 25-year-old has her sights set on becoming a surgeon. But living in San Francisco and attending one of the most prestigious medical schools in all the land has its drawbacks – specifically, the cost of living.  “I don’t have an income right now – it’s all student loans – so every month is a struggle when it comes to paying rent and surviving,” she says.

Hailey recently learned she was eligible to enroll in CalFresh, formerly known as food stamps. The Food Bank has an entire team of employees, dedicated to helping eligible individuals enroll in the program. One of the most successful locations, in terms of sign-ups, is the UCSF Parnassus campus.

Now, Hailey gets $190 from CalFresh to spend on groceries.  “It’s given me flexibility in my monthly budgeting and has allowed me to make healthier choices every day.”

She’s not alone. Since the beginning of the year, the Food Bank has worked with campus officials and the San Francisco Human Services Agency to make CalFresh a part of UCSF’s overall financial aid strategy. Enrollment events were held once or twice a month during the fall semester, and the program is really starting to take off.

“Since we started working with UCSF early this year, 186 students have been approved for CalFresh through our events, resulting in over $34,000 a month in benefits,” says Food Bank CalFresh Outreach Manager, Francesca Costa. “We are so grateful for UCSF’s partnership in supporting students through the CalFresh application process. The tearful hugs and deep gratitude from students we have helped enroll make it clear that we are meeting an important need here on campus.”

 

Food Bank Innovations | Mobile Pantry

November 6, 2018

For most of us, running out of milk, or dinner fixings, or toothpaste can be easily remedied with a quick trip to the grocery store. Even our pantry participants don’t have too far to travel to have access to fresh groceries on a weekly basis. But out in extreme West Marin, easy access to food is a foreign concept. The area is so remote that you can drive for miles without seeing a single building. Oftentimes, the only signs of life are the dairy farms that dot the landscape. It’s these dairy farms where our latest innovation has begun; the Mobile Pantry.

Watch our Video

Providing Healthy Food to Isolated Neighbors

The ranch hands on these farms often work six days a week, and many do not own cars. To get to the grocery store, some have to find childcare and others must wait for a friend to take them on their one day off. And due to the higher cost of food in this remote area, the buying power in west Marin is drastically reduced. Enter the Food Bank’s mobile pantry unit, the new program that brings fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and proteins out to struggling families who have limited access to food.

Positive Response Thus Far

Norma’s husband works on one of the farms and says it definitely is a struggle to feed her family every month. “The closest grocery stores are miles away, and it costs extra money to just get there to buy food to feed my family.  The food you are delivering is really healthy, and is helping out this community. It’s amazing that you would come all the way out here to help us.”

Long Time Coming

Edith Cadena, Food Bank Program Coordinator, runs the mobile pantry and knows it’s making a huge impact. “The Food Bank does urban well, and now we are impacting the rural community, which is a region I have wanted to target for awhile now.  It’s been wonderful to see the trust growing in the community.”

Connected Through Food

Consider a donation to help ensure that all of our hungry neighbors have access to healthy food — whether they live in the city, the suburbs, or the most remote places in the Bay Area.

Toby’s Story | Not Our Forever Situation

October 20, 2018

When you think of Tiburon, you probably think of multi-million dollar homes and gorgeous views from this bayside Marin County town. Or perhaps what comes to mind are chic cafes and boutique shops that dot the quaint streets as luxury cars pass by. What you probably don’t think about is the very real hunger problem that exists in this wealthy enclave just north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Nestled about halfway between Highway 101 and Tiburon’s tony downtown is the Hilarita Apartment complex, one of several subsidized housing facilities in the area. It is home to about 100 families, including 25-year-old Toby and his mom. After graduating from the College of Marin with a degree in chemistry, Toby moved back home to help his ailing mother while he looks for his first “real job.”

Toby’s mother has a chronic hip problem, and for now, the two are living on her disability and social security benefits. After paying rent, there isn’t much money left to spend, even for essentials like food. Toby was “blown away” when he learned that the Food Bank was opening a food pantry at Hilarita this past spring, and says it has really saved him and his mom, at an especially vulnerable time.

“The pantry helps out a lot, because I’m still looking for work. So there’s the financial issue,” Toby says. “Eventually I’m going to get a job – hopefully something in biotech – so this isn’t our forever situation. But until then, every little bit helps. To some people, the money we save on groceries might seem insignificant, but for me and my mom, it makes a big difference.”

Since April of 2018, more than 30 families like Toby’s are able to pick up fresh groceries at the Hilarita pantry every week – fresh vegetables and fruits, protein like chicken drumsticks, and grains. These items help stretch dollars so residents can pay their rent, PG&E bills and buy medicine.

“The food pantry also helps us to stay in touch with the community. I like to see my neighbors – some of them anyway,” Toby says with a laugh. “Tuesday is a day to come down here to say hello, to check in with everybody. We see how they’re doing and then head home with fresh food for the week.”

As an added bonus, they pantry has encouraged Toby to make healthier food choices too:  “I actually started eating carrots again because of this place” he says.  “I used to eat them as a boy, so I grabbed some the other day, and now I’m back to eating carrots all the time as snacks.”

Hilarita residents, many of whom are low income, have been asking about a pantry for more than two years, but issues with the property managers made collaborating with the site difficult. Then the nonprofit ‘EAH Housing’ took over and committed to making the pantry a reality. “It took some extra perseverance,” says Food Bank pantry liaison Edith Cadena, “but when we finally opened up our doors it was real source of pride, not just for myself, but other food bankers, and especially the residents.”

Miyuki’s Story | Food is Life

July 24, 2018

If you’re going on appearances alone, then there is little way that you would know all the hardships Miyuki and her family have experienced in recent years.  The smiling, bespectacled woman was busy picking up a week’s worth of groceries at the Food Bank’s Health Children pantry at Bessie Carmichael Elementary School in the South of Market neighborhood when she recalled the past seven years of her life.

Her troubles really started in March of 2011 when a 9.1 earthquake, and resulting tsunami, caused widespread damage in her home country of Japan, including the failure of the nearby Fukushima nuclear power plant.  Eventually, four of Miyuki’s friends would die of cancer in their 30’s – she believes they all are related to the radiation.  In an effort to protect her infant daughter, Miyuki and her husband fled to the United States.

A SAFER PLACE TO LIVE

They settled in Oakland, but soon after, they lost everything when their apartment building burned to the ground.  Homeless, and staying with various friends for about two years, fate finally smiled on Miyuki’s family in the form of an affordable housing unit that opened up in San Francisco.

It is here where they are starting fresh, but times are still tough. Miyuki’s husband works construction, and she picks up freelance work, but mostly she cares for her daughter. “We can’t afford babysitters, and it’s my job as her mother to take care of my daughter.”

FOOD BRINGS HEALTH AND HAPPINESS

She says the food pantry at her daughter’s school helps her so much. “We’re broke, so I cook whatever I get and use everything,” she says.

Miyuki recently made oat bar snacks for her daughter’s classroom, using mostly items that she picked up at the pantry.  “The kids loved them – they grabbed me and asked, ‘how did you make that?’ It made me happy. I see a lot of families at the school struggling to eat healthy food which is why it’s great that the pantry has so many fruits and vegetables.  Food is life.”

LIVE YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW

What most inspires her is to see the other families in line who are also struggling, but doing what they can to make sure their children are well-nourished.

“The world is a mess right now. But it doesn’t matter where you live, you have to live your life right now and appreciate what you have and remain positive. The Food Pantry is a really positive place, and I hope people keep donating to feed people like us. I appreciate it so much, and it brings so much happiness to low-income families – particularly the kids.”

If you wish to help families like Miyuki’s please consider a donation to the Food Bank today.

Food Bank Innovations | Summer Kids Food Market

June 28, 2018

If she had her druthers, 7-year-old Michaela would tackle not one, but two professions when she grows up.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”   Well, I got two…during the weekdays I want to be a hair stylist.  And on weekends I want to be a designer.
“What kind of designer?”  I want to be a fashion designer for dogs and people!
“A dog dress designer?”  Yeah…I saw it on TV!”

The precocious second grader at San Francisco’s Dr. Charles Drew Academy then showed off some of her pet fashion designs on her campus-provided chromebook during an after-school program inside the multi-purpose room.  Technology and daycare aren’t the only things being offered at Charles Drew. Campus officials have partnered with the Food Bank for many years to provide fresh groceries on site – including hosting our Summer Kids Food Market.

Started back in 2016, our Summer Kids Food Market program was designed to help low-income families weather the summer months when children lose access to free and reduced-price school meal programs, and many school-based pantries close when campuses shut down for the summer break.

Michaela was excited that she and her family were able to get fresh groceries through the summer months.  “I like apples, oranges, bananas and mangoes..my mom puts a special sauce on the mangoes that make them super spicy and it’s good…I like that a lot.”

Michaela’s uncle, Ray Bean, is a part-time resource officer at the school and picked up groceries during the summer months too. “If you didn’t do the summer pantry thing, it would be a huge struggle with my pocketbook. I would have to go to the store and buy some of these items, and we all know how much healthy food costs these days. Your groceries are really a huge help to the entire community, especially during summertime.”

This is the third year of our Summer Kids Food Market program, and the most ambitious one yet. Four sites have been opened this year – one each in Chinatown, the Bayview, the Western Addition, and Potrero Hill – and are serving over 500 families from more than a dozen different schools in these neighborhoods.

If you would like to support innovative projects like our Summer Kids Food Markets, consider a donation today.

Making Thanksgiving Possible | A Community Comes Together

November 14, 2017

Thanksgiving is our busiest time of year at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, and it takes thousands of people to pull it off. From dedicated volunteers to pantry coordinators to community partners to generous supporters like you, distributing a special holiday menu for thousands of Food Bank participants is truly a team effort.

Your support helps the Food Bank serve our 253 neighborhood pantries and 200 community partners across San Francisco and Marin. Every organization that distributes food supplied by the Food Bank makes a big difference in the lives they touch— whether they provide fresh groceries so our neighbors in need can prepare traditional Thanksgiving meals to enjoy with their loved ones at home, or prepare holiday feasts for participants with turkey and all the fixings.

PROVIDING FOOD FOR THE HOMELESS

In November, the Food Bank will provide local agencies like GLIDE Memorial Church and St. Anthony’s with ingredients to cook large-scale meals for our neighbors. On Thanksgiving, your support helps us send GLIDE 40,000 pounds of food to feed 5,000 of our hungry neighbors—many of whom are homeless or without family.

More than 500 volunteers lend a hand, and every guest receives a helping of turkey and ham, as well as the traditional sides of stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

“I’m in the shelter and without this, I probably wouldn’t be eating this Thanksgiving,” said a guest named Kittridge. “Here, you are treated like a guest, and it’s beautiful.”

HELPING FAMILIES CELEBRATE

The Food Bank will provide over 30,000 families who visit neighborhood food pantries with Thanksgiving ingredients to make a special meal at home with their loved ones. One of our participants, Martin who attends the Treasure Island Homeless Development Initiative, a supportive-housing center.

Martin’s family is part of a close-knit community of about 75 people who attend the weekly pantry. There, people not only pick up food, but they catch up and check in with their neighbors. “The Food Bank gives us a whole chicken,” says Martin. “It’s perfect because our oven is too small for a big turkey. We are so thankful.”

“Many of our pantry participants have disabilities,” says Sherryl Hairston, pantry coordinator. “They tell us all the time how much they appreciate this food. And, we can see it in their faces.”

YOUR SUPPORT MAKES IT POSSIBLE

With increased need over the holidays, there’s never a better time to support the Food Bank. Click here to make a contribution that will help provide warm meals to our neighbors in need.

 

What is “Food For All”?

October 26, 2017

At the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, we believe in “Food For All” – that everyone in our community is able to obtain enough nutritious food to support the health and well-being of themselves and their families.

“Food For All” means our neighbors in need can get enough food, not only so they can tackle life’s many challenges, but also the nourishment that enables them to thrive and grow.

The opportunities and success that good food makes possible are highlighted in our Food For All advertising campaign. Keep an eye out for our Food For All ads on buses, billboards, street pole banners, and transit stations across Marin and San Francisco.

The ads feature the supersize smiles Food Bank staff, volunteers, and pantry participants, coupled with words that express what’s possible when everyone in our community has enough food to eat:  Strength, Hope, Courage, Health, Love, and Community.

Thank you to our wonderful partners for their contributions to our Food For All campaign:

  • Skona Advertising for designing this beautiful campaign
  • Photographer Peter Prato for capturing the amazing smiles and strength of the staff, volunteers, and participants
  • GreatKolor for securing free media, printing and installing the ads

Feeling inspired? Make a donation now if you believe in Food For All.

We can’t do it alone. Our visionary goal to end hunger can only be achieved by mobilizing the caring, giving power of our community.

Food Bank Response | North Bay Fires

October 11, 2017

Updated Sunday, October 15

As massive wildfires continue to decimate the North Bay, causing thousands of people to flee their homes, Bay Area Food Banks are responding. We have been working together all week to provide emergency food assistance to displaced neighbors. Our hearts and thoughts are with our North Bay neighbors who are seeking support.

Need food? Marin food pantries welcome fire evacuees: If you or someone you know in Marin has been impacted by the wildfires (and is not already receiving meals from an evacuation center), food is available from the Food Bank’s pantry network. Click here to use our Food Locator tool to find weekly food pantries that are open in Marin. To help individuals and families recover, the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank is making emergency food assistance available to evacuation centers and encouraging new participants to enroll at our weekly pantries.

Want to help? Monetary donations are the most effective way to assist right now.  

> Donate here to support Redwood Empire Food Bank,which is in the middle of the disaster zone, serving Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino Counties. 

NOTE: At this time, the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank is not accepting donations of food, water, or other supplies. Get updates and stay connected with news about how San Francisco-Marin Food Bank is supporting the wildfire recovery efforts by following us on Facebook and Twitter.

How San Francisco-Marin Food Bank is supporting relief efforts

In times of emergency, Food Banks play a key role as “second responders,” providing food and water in the immediate aftermath of disaster, as well as longer-term food assistance as neighbors rebuild their lives.

At the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, our Food Resources and Operations teams sprang into action early last week, assembling 12 pallets of shelf-stable snack items, drinks, and peanut butter. These ready-to-eat foods are being delivered to shelters that are housing people displaced by the fires.

On Tuesday, we moved those pallets of food to our Marin warehouse, which is much closer to the fire lines, and much closer to the people who need it. Within hours of arriving in Marin, two pallets were delivered to an evacuee shelter in San Geronimo Valley in West Marin County, helping 30 people who were forced from their homes the day before. Other shelters are opening daily, and our emergency-relief food is close by, ready to be shipped out as soon as it’s needed.

This weekend (October 14-15), we are providing food for breakfast for 400 evacuees at the Marin Civic Center evacuation shelter. The 11 pallets of food delivered today include cereal, peanut butter, jelly, beverages, apples, and pears.

Our team has also delivered a truckload of food and water to the Redwood Empire Food Bank (REFB), which is in the middle of the disaster zone, serving Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino Counties. We have also sent four of our skilled forklift operators to help out at the REFB warehouse this weekend. Four members of our warehouse team – Rich, Steve, Leonardo and Carl – will travel to Sonoma County to provide assistance.

In the news, San Francisco-Marin Food Bank was featured on KTSF-Channel 36 TV (Chinese language). Click here to view the 3-minute segment; we are mentioned at the 1:43 mark.