Category: Programs

Nutrition Education: 3 Tips To Get Your Nutrition On!

March 3, 2017

March is National Nutrition Month, a perfect time to celebrate and highlight one of the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank’s organizational values: improving nutrition for our community members. Here are three things our Nutrition Education team suggests you can do to make healthier choices:

Incorporate MyPlate into your meal routine  

  • Make sure that half of what you eat in a day is fruits and vegetables. Fresh, frozen or canned produce can all help you meet that goal.
  • Choose lean proteins such as beans, chicken, tofu, turkey, eggs, nuts, seeds, and fish.
  • Although not every meal needs to include all five food groups, try your best to include as many food groups as possible in each meal. Ideally, meals should include at least three of the five food groups, and snacks should include two of the five

 

Read nutrition labels (Here are a few tips for gleaning the best information)

  • Labels only show the nutritional facts for “1” serving, so be sure to check the serving size! For example, you may be surprised to learn that just 1/2 cup counts as a full serving of cereal, so if you eat a full cup, you are getting double the calories and nutrients.
  • Percent Daily Values (% DVs) show if a food is high or low in certain nutrients. Five percent or less is considered low and 20% or more is considered high. For example, a serving that has 25% DV of sodium would be high in sodium
  • Ingredients are listed by weight, with the highest weight at the top of the list. If sugar (or another name for sugar) is listed as one of the top three ingredients, know that the item is going to have high sugar content, and so, it may be best to avoid choosing that product.

Choose whole grains

  • Adding grains to your daily meal routine is important, but make sure you’re consuming whole grains whenever possible. They’re higher in fiber, keep you feeling fuller for a longer period of time, and also aid your digestion.
  • Don’t let the packaging or colors fool you! To make sure that you’re actually choosing whole-grain products, make sure that the top ingredient on your ingredient list says the word “whole.”
  • Whole grains include brown rice, oats, and whole-wheat pasta. We recommend that half of your daily grains are whole grains.
  • Fun fact: Whole grains have three layers, each contributing essential nutrients for our body.

 

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Remedios’ Story | Full House, Much Love

March 1, 2017

Remedios looks back on her life just three short years ago and can’t believe all the things that have transpired since then.  It started with her adult daughter dying unexpectedly, leaving behind a grieving husband and 10 children.  Her daughter’s husband and children did their best to get up in the morning, get dressed, and keep going, but it was clear they were struggling to stay afloat.

With her grandchildren’s well-being at stake, Remedios did the only thing she could think of:  she made room in her modest home for her grandchildren and her son in law. And then she said a prayer.

“I have to be positive. It’s hard, but I know I have to take it one day at a time,” she said. “My daughter left us, and we have to deal with that, but thankfully, God is on our side, and so is the Food Bank.”

Remedios’ weekly routine of visiting the food pantry at the Ingleside Community Center is one way the family is moving forward after their loss. Picking up fresh groceries and visiting with neighbors at the food pantry every Thursday has helped rebuild a sense of safety and security for her grandchildren, who range in age from six to 18.

Since Remedios and her husband are in their 80s and live on a fixed income, getting supplemental food from the pantry is essential for nourishing their fast-growing grandchildren. Like most kids, they have big appetites.

“Oh my goodness, they are unbelievable,” Remedios said. “Twenty-four hours a day they are always in the kitchen! Especially during the rainy season…oh, they want to eat again and again and again!”

Remedios especially appreciates all of the fresh produce she receives at the pantry because getting the kids to eat healthy is very important to her. She said, “I am very thankful for the food, and I make extra sure that It goes a long way.”

 

Make the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice

January 31, 2017

Thanks to our generous supporters, the Food Bank will distribute a little more than 49 million pounds of food in the coming year – providing over 30,000 low-income families with nourishment each week.  But our mission is so much more than just receiving and distributing food.  We have a team of nutrition education experts, hard at work, developing new programs aimed at teaching participants how to make the most of the healthy food they receive on a weekly basis.

“Our goal is to make the healthy choice the easy choice for neighbors who receive food assistance,” says Molly Burke, the Food Bank’s Nutrition Education Program Manager.

She is particularly excited about the launch of two pioneer programs in 2017.  One centers on teenagers and the other will focus on pregnant women, new moms, and caregivers.

“Teens Tackle the Kitchen” is a 4-week, interactive series that will engage teens in healthy competition to make the healthiest, tastiest meals and snacks they can using Food Bank ingredients.

“By making our cooking workshops fun and competitive, we’re hoping to engage teens more effectively,” said Burke.  “Learning how to cook healthy food from scratch encourages teens avoid unhealthy, processed foods and is a great skill that they can carry with them into adulthood.”

Senior Nutrition Education Coordinator Nalleli Martinez will head up the Food Bank’s other new program, “Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies.” It will encourage new mothers to think about nutrition not only for themselves, but also for their babies during one of the most important and often hectic times of transition in their lives.

“We know that good health depends on good nutrition right from the start,” said Martinez. “Our aim is to foster smart choices and behaviors that can boost mothers’ health, their babies’ health, and the health of their entire family moving forward.”

 

Video | Happy New Year 2017

January 12, 2017

As we embark on a New Year at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, we want to recognize the accomplishments you helped make possible. With the support of thousands of volunteers, donors, and partners, we nourished nearly a quarter of a million neighbors last year. Thank you! We hope you are as excited and energized as we are for 2017.

Donate Your Car and Help Neighbors in Need

December 21, 2016

“Donate your car and turn your wheels into meals.”

Bay Area Broadcasters Give Not One, but Two Gifts to the Food Bank

Do you have an old clunker that’s taking up space in your driveway or garage? Are you moving soon and want to “lighten the load” by off-loading your vehicle? Are you interested in a generous tax write-off, while giving back to your neighbors who can use some help?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, we encourage you to follow the lead of longtime Bay Area broadcasting duo Mike Sugerman and Janice Wright. They recently donated their car to benefit the Food Bank as they prepared to retire and relocate to the east coast to be closer to family.

Having covered Food Bank stories for years for KCBS Radio and KPIX TV, Mike and Janice were delighted to discover that the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank accepts donated cars – a perfect send-off for their Toyota that wouldn’t be making the trip. In fact, they were so excited, they gave us another gift…this song:

Vehicle donations play a critical role in some of the work we do here at the Food Bank.  Last year, people donated 33 cars to the Food Bank. We were able to turn those into $27,000, good enough to provide nearly 55,000 meals.

Donate Your Car
Donating your unwanted car or truck  is easier than selling it and you’ll receive a tax receipt for your contribution. You can donate your car by visiting Center for Car Donations. If you have any questions, please email our Donor Services or call (415) 282-1900, ext 353.

Day in the Life of Our Delivery Trucks

December 6, 2016

It’s 5 am, and the roll-up door closes with a metal clunk. Secured inside the truck’s cargo hold are dozens of pallets of food, ready to be delivered to pantry sites throughout the city.

Food Bank driver and lead dispatcher Marc Zaminsky checks the log one last time and fires up the truck. He pulls out of the Food Bank’s driveway onto the quiet streets of San Francisco.

His first stop is Marshall Elementary School, located in the Mission District. He pulls up to the curb, then uses the truck’s lift to lower the pallets of food to street level. Marc then wheels the food inside.

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Today’s delivery features cantaloupe, tomatoes, lettuce, celery, rice, raisins, boxes of cereal, oranges, potatoes, carrots, apples and eggs. Volunteers take care to display the fresh produce and other products so they are ready when families arrive to select their groceries for the week.

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Next up is a Single Room Occupancy hotel a few blocks away. The pantry coordinator is waiting by the door. She walks to the curb to greet Marc. The hallway is too narrow for the pallet jack so the pantry volunteers pitch in to help carry the boxes inside. The pantry will open in 30 minutes, so the volunteers quickly unload the boxes and set up the pantry tables.pantrynetwork-header

Afterward, three more stops are made, at a community center, a church, and a middle school, until finally, the cargo bay is empty. Marc checks off his log and heads back to the Food Bank.

Back at the Food Bank, Marc pulls into a loading bay, and the work begins again. The truck is loaded with pallets of food. The heaviest items, like potatoes and melons, layer the bottom of the pallet. Lighter, crushable items like cereal and eggs go on top.

Once the truck is loaded, Marc checks in at the dispatch room for any last minute changes. Then, he heads back into the city to bring more food to the people who need it.

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“This is the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. When you arrive at the pantries, people are smiling and happy to see you. There’s joy because you’re bringing them relief, you’re bringing them food,” says Marc Zaminsky. 

CalFresh ‘Churn’ Means More Missing Meals in SF and Marin

December 1, 2016

CalFresh – known nationally as SNAP and formerly as ‘food stamps’ – is a cornerstone of our food safety net in California. Almost 4.5 million people participate in CalFresh statewide, and more than 60,000[1] people participate in San Francisco and Marin combined. CalFresh participants receive an “EBT card” – which functions like a debit card that gets replenished with CalFresh benefits each month; participants then use CalFresh benefits to buy food in grocery stores and farmers’ markets.

Unfortunately, CalFresh churn is a big problem among many recipients.

Churn is when an eligible recipient unexpectedly loses CalFresh benefits, usually because of missed reporting requirements, only to re-enroll within one to three months.

In order to stay on benefits, CalFresh households must report eligibility information periodically. At six months after initial application, participants must notify the county of any household circumstances that have changed through a form called a SAR 7; at one year, they must re-verify all household information and complete an interview. The idea is that household circumstances sometimes change, and having a regularly scheduled time when participants submit documents and verifications ensures their status with CalFresh remains accurate.

But in practice, many households suddenly find themselves with an empty EBT card, unable to buy groceries. Imagine standing at a grocery check-out counter, only to find that your debit card unexpectedly had a $0 balance? What would that mean for feeding your family and paying the rest of your bills that month?

An interruption in CalFresh benefits, even for a month, can have real, damaging consequences for a family that is living on the edge of financial stability. For example, a household with the average CalFresh benefit of $304 per month would lose about 100 meals during the month when benefits are interrupted.

Statewide, one in five Calfresh applications received is from someone who was on CalFresh in the last 90 days.

Why does this happen? Confusion about the semi-annual reporting process, difficult-to-read letters from the county, language barriers, a missed interview, or a recent change in address or phone number can all result in benefits being terminated. It is not difficult to imagine a situation in which a busy family with multiple jobs, hectic schedules of school and childcare, combined with the stress of paying bills and keeping household paperwork in order, could end up missing CalFresh deadlines. Once benefits have been lost, households sometimes have to reapply for benefits all over again.

In addition to hurting recipients, CalFresh churn is inefficient and troublesome for county administrators. Instead of helping new clients enroll or improving the program overall, workers spend valuable time completing new applications for cases which should never have been discontinued in the first place.

We estimate that in San Francisco and Marin, $280,000 in CalFresh money are lost each month due to churn.

Over the next month, the Food Bank Advocacy Team will share a series of blog posts about CalFresh churn. Next week, we will dive into our county-level data in San Francisco and Marin. In subsequent weeks, we will explore more specifically what causes churn, and provide recommendations to diagnose churn and implement effective solutions.

Join us as we explore this topic!

 

[1] DFA 256 Report, August 2016: http://www.dss.cahwnet.gov/research/PG352.htm
[2] CDSS CalFresh Household Profile, FFY, 2014: http://www.calfresh.ca.gov/PG844.htm

Food For All

November 18, 2016

“Food For All” – three small words that highlight the Food Bank’s big mission to end hunger in our community. It’s also the focus of our new ad campaign on transit, billboards, street pole banners around San Francisco and Marin.

We believe that Food For All is a basic human right – that all our neighbors have the right to food, especially in a community filled with so much abundance. Food is more than just nourishment: having enough food to eat alleviates stress, promotes long-lasting health benefits, and creates opportunities for people to focus on goals and dreams. During the holidays, Food For All brings hope and joy. It strengthens our community. It transforms lives.

Please, donate now to help us provide Food For All.

“Thanksgiving is about being together.”

November 18, 2016

Seventy-six-year-old breast cancer survivor Barbara Johnson is one of the 350 participants who visit the Casa de Barro Church Food Bank pantry each week in San Francisco. She ambles in and is greeted by smiles, laughs, and warm welcomes from all the pantry volunteers.

Barbara worked almost her whole life doing clerical work and then as a medical assistant.  Now retired, her income is less than $800 per month. Without the Food Bank, she said she would be going hungry.

“There are so many fresh fruits and vegetables here that I couldn’t afford otherwise,” said Barbara. “And the volunteers are so nice and treat us with respect.”

Barbara especially loves the oranges, peaches, and grapes. One of her favorite vegetable recipes is to use Food Bank corn and canned tomatoes and add some store-bought sausage to make a succotash. Over the holidays, Barbara makes candied yams and baked chicken with the ingredients she gets at the pantry.

“It really helps me stretch my budget at the holidays because there’s more family to feed,” said Barbara who has her brother, daughter, nieces, and nephews over. But she misses her son who died of a heart attack at age 52.

Barbara says one of the best things about the Food Bank pantry is that there’s a sense of community. People check in about each other’s lives, whether someone’s facing an illness like breast cancer, or there’s a death in the family.

“Whether it’s here at the church, or if you see people on the street, the pantry folks are friendly and ask how you are doing,” said Barbara. “It’s not about handouts, it’s about being together.”

Casa de Barro in San Francisco’s Outer Mission neighborhood is one of more than 250 weekly pantries in our region where the Food Bank distributes healthy groceries to neighbors in need.

Thanksgiving at the Pantry Casa De Barro

November 18, 2016

If you visit the Casa de Barro food pantry on a typical Saturday, you can’t help but be amazed by how well it runs. It’s like clockwork: more than 300 families rapidly move through the church, each one receiving 2-3 bags of fresh groceries, all in the course of just a couple hours. A small but mighty army of about 20 volunteers is at the heart of the action – setting up, helping participants, restocking items and ensuring all runs smoothly.

One of the largest pantries in the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank network, Casa de Barro takes on a new rhythm when Thanksgiving rolls around. The pace is a bit slower, the smiles are wider, the hugs last longer. Although participants and volunteers chat and check in with each other every week, the feelings of caring and community reach a giddy peak during the holiday season.

“When Thanksgiving is coming, people make a point to say ‘thanks’ out loud and a lot more often,” said Mayella, who lives nearby with her family and has volunteered at the pantry for eight years. “People make an extra effort to show they care, and we feel more connected. Even though I volunteer every week, at the holidays I think even more about how important and rewarding it is to help each other.”

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For many participants, the whole chicken they receive from the Food Bank for Thanksgiving is the centerpiece of their holiday meal. Margarita, who visits Casa de Barro pantry with her young son most Saturdays, said, “Getting food here helps a lot.  It makes our holiday much better.  My family has something wonderful to eat, and we celebrate that.  In addition to the chicken, we prepare our favorite foods like posole and tamales.”

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Longtime volunteer Vicky appreciates the acts of kindness that proliferate during the season: “People do many, small things to show their thanks – they will bring notes for the volunteers or small candies to share.  They are so grateful for what they receive and they want to give something, whatever they can, to the volunteers to say ‘thank you.’

“The Saturday before Thanksgiving, there is a lot of excitement,” Vicky added. “People are so happy to get food for their big meal, and they are looking forward to celebrating.  They dress up when they are coming to the pantry and you can see everyone’s face is full of joy.”