Category: Stories

Food Banker Spotlight | Nalleli Martinez-Prieto

April 19, 2017

Meet Nalleli Martinez-Prieto, Senior Nutrition Education Coordinator

What does a typical day at the Food Bank look like for you?

When asked this question, I can honestly say there is no “typical day” within Nutrition Education. Our work encompasses such a wide array of programming. One day I can be updating signs with nutrition tips on our shop floor in San Francisco, the next I might be in Marin leading a class about whole grains for seniors, and the following day I’m at a San Francisco school leading a kid’s class about “eating the rainbow.” However, I can say that a typical day always includes some form of communication, not only with the community, but in the community, and that to me is gold!

What’s your favorite thing about working at the Food Bank?

Being constantly present in the community. I’ve never been a fan of sitting behind a desk, so frequently engaging in two-way learning with community members is what I appreciate the most. I like having the opportunity to create empowering environments for our class participants to help them elevate the skills they already have. When I get to witness their success in trying a new food or preparing a new meal, I know I’ve succeeded.

Have you been personally impacted by your experience at the Food Bank?

I grew up in a food desert and never really knew it. My neighborhood was surrounded by every fast food option you can think of and only one grocery store within walking distance from home. My mom didn’t drive back then and getting fresh food was always a mission. Back then, I never considered what a food bank could do for us, but now that I know, I’m an advocate for the work that we do. The Food Bank is a bridge that gives people the opportunity to struggle less. My family had limited access to healthy food and little to no knowledge of what “healthy” was, and so I now strive to  share with others the valuable resources that are available that I wish my family knew about. The Food Bank has shown me how to be a passionate advocate for the work that I do, and it’s one of the reasons that I enjoy serving the community.

What motivates you to do what you do?

The small successes experienced every day by our class participants and agency partners motivate me. Nutrition is such a personal topic, which is so important for me to acknowledge every time I step out into the community. For example, in a previous class, I had a participant share that she used to drink three sodas a day and she accomplished the goal of reducing that to one. Change looks very different for each individual, and when I can encourage that change, it motivates me to continue doing what I do.

What’s something people might not know about you?

I know that some people already know this about me, but I’m a gamer.  It’s a big part of my self-care. I make sure to set some time aside each year to attend gaming expos. I love the nature of immersive storytelling that can be experienced via gaming and if you’re ever interested in chatting about it, come find me!

Tell us your best joke.

I’m not a fan of jokes, but can I share my favorite quote? “May you live every day of your life.” — Jonathan Swift

Food Banker Spotlight | Henry Randolph

March 31, 2017

Meet Henry, Shop Floor Manager

What does a typical day at the Food Bank look like to you?

I start work at 5:30am every weekday morning on the shop floor, which is a separate part of the warehouse where dozens of nonprofit agencies are able to visit and pick up weekly groceries. These account holders include local churches, homeless shelters and community centers that help feed neighbors in need.  My first order of business is to start restocking the shopping floor shelves.  I’m also building orders for after-school programs.  At 8am, the Shop Floor opens and agency representatives start to arrive.  I assist the shoppers with their needs and do whatever else is asked throughout the warehouse to get food out to the community.

What’s your favorite thing about working at the Food Bank?

It gives me the opportunity to work with so many great people in the community and throughout the organization who all share the same common goal and moral obligation to help improve the quality of life of those in need.

Have you been personally impacted by your experience at the Food Bank?

Yes. Working here is like a dream come true. As a young boy growing up in SF in the 60’s and 70’s I saw the struggles and heartaches that individuals and families faced in the communities that I lived in.  I made a commitment to myself at an early age to give a hand to those who are less fortunate. Working here at the Food Bank for the past 20 years has helped me to fulfill one of my life goals.

What motivates you to do what you do?

I love providing services to people in need, it’s a great feeling and very rewarding. I truly care about the communities of San Francisco, a city I love dearly.

What’s something people might not know about you?

I was an All-City and All-State high school basketball player, as well as an All American JUCO player. One year I lead the state in rebounds.  I was also nominated to tryout for the 1976 Men’s Olympic Basketball team.

Tell us your best joke.

Knock! Knock? Who’s there? Handoff. Handoff who?  Handoff to Randolph!!!

UPDATE:

The Food Bank is proud to announce the Henry was recently chosen as a Walmart Community Playmaker for good deeds carried out in the community. Henry was handed the award, and honored before thousands of fans at a recent Golden State Warriors game.  Way to go Henry!

 

 

Betty Ann’s BFFs

March 20, 2017

In these fast-paced times, the way we connect with friends has been completely redefined. But for 94-year-old Betty Ann, connecting with friends the old-fashioned way is an important lifeline.

When the longtime San Francisco resident entered her 90s, she was living a pretty lonely existence. Her beloved husband, Murle, whom she married back in 1944, passed away from Parkinson’s Disease after they had been married over 60 years.

Her grandson moved in to help Betty Ann around the house, but something was missing: companionship with people closer to her age.

“A social worker suggested that with my fixed income it might be time to contact the local food bank to supplement my groceries,” she said. “He also promised that I would meet nice people and enjoy myself.”

Betty Ann took the advice to heart, and within a few weeks she was enrolled at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank’s pantry at Ingleside Community Center, just a few blocks from her home. Before long, several friendships blossomed with other seniors whom she met at the pantry.

“I met Zakia, and Lita, and Jean, and Margaret. When they have a birthday, we save our money and go someplace for lunch,” Betty Ann said. “Friends are very important, especially at my age. They keep me happy.”

Betty is thankful for the money she saves by receiving food at the pantry. Her favorite food items are chicken, eggs and vegetables – ones that would cost the most if she purchased them on her own. Like many seniors, she is trying to remain in the city she knows and loves, as the cost of living continues to climb.

“Everything is pretty high right now – the utilities and everything,” she said. “Everything goes up and my income stays the same.”

What isn’t staying the same is the network of friends Betty Ann continues to build at the Ingleside Community Center pantry.

Do you know a senior who could benefit from healthy groceries and companionship? If so, check out our Food Locator feature on our website.  There, you’ll find information about our pantry network, our other programs, and instructions on how to sign up for food assistance.

Donate to programs that help neighbors like Betty Ann.

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.”

 

Shelley’s Story | “So Much Love”

February 22, 2017

Shelley is a teacher at the YMCA, which recently recognized her as Employee of the Year. She is a pillar of strength in our community, and we treasure her volunteer service. You might recognize her from our ad campaign around the city.

“They call me the Bread Lady because I’m often the one distributing the loaves of bread at the Casa de Barro food pantry in San Francisco. Sometimes someone will ask for a second loaf because they have kids to feed, and it breaks my heart because I have four children of my own.

I first got involved with the Food Bank because one day I was riding the bus, and it stopped at the Casa de Barro Church. I saw a long line of people, and when I asked what was happening, someone told me they were providing free food.

I wasn’t working at the time, so I returned the following week to receive food. The way I was treated there touched my heart so much that I knew I wanted to be a part of this group. One man took my bag of food and helped me down the stairs and someone else held my hand. There was so much love.

So I asked to volunteer. Ever since then, I’ve been coming almost every Saturday for almost eight years. Through volunteering, I’ve discovered another side of myself: how compassionate and loving I can be. The food pantry allows me to reach out to others, and it feels really good to be of service.

Meeting people has always been a big part of my life, and volunteering has opened me up to whole new group of people.  At Casa de Barro, we have social gatherings and share each other’s cultures. We swap recipes, share each other’s food, and I’ve even picked up some Spanish. For me, the pantry is a loving place where I can help care for others and I get so much love and appreciation in return.”

 

 

 

Healthy Food, Healthy Mind

January 31, 2017

As she sat quietly on a bench, inside the gymnasium at the Ingleside Community Center — a bag of groceries by her side — Denise Venegas uttered the words she has been meaning to say for months: “Thank you for making me whole again.”

It was quite a relief for the San Francisco woman who experienced a parents’ worst nightmare 16 years prior. Two of her children died, and in the days, weeks, and months afterwards, her life became a blur.

“I simply forgot who I was. I had a great job at the post office, and one day I just forgot to go to work, and I forgot to take care of myself!” she said.

For the next several years, she lived a very dark existence filled with pain, which led to drug use, domestic violence, and eventually homelessness. Little did she know that someone would come along and change her life for the better.

San Francisco-Marin Food Bank Pantry Coordinator SuKei Lao remembers leaving the Ingleside Food Pantry one day back in January 2016. Denise was sitting on some steps nearby.

“She looked sad, and I thought that maybe I could help, so I asked if she was hungry and interested in getting free, fresh produce,” Lao said.

Reluctant at first, Denise eventually agreed. Soon, she was enrolled at the Ingleside Pantry and began receiving fresh groceries every Thursday.

Nearly a year later, Lao ran into Denise at the pantry.

“I didn’t recognize her until she asked me if I remembered when I helped her,” said Lao. “Then I realized it was Denise, and she looked amazing! Much healthier than I remembered.”

Denise can’t believe her own transformation and chalks it up to all the fresh fruits and veggies she receives at the pantry.

“After my ‘episode,’ I didn’t know how to shop for healthy food for myself,” she said, fighting through tears.  “Now I sleep better, I feel better, I lost weight in a good way…not by eating less, but by eating better food. I got my dignity back, my self-respect.”

That food, coupled with a stable home and a new dog, have all come together to help return her mind, body, and spirit.

Mayella’s Story | “It changed my life.”

December 20, 2016

Mayella is a Food Bank participant and pantry volunteer. This is her story.

“The first time I came home with a bag of Food Bank groceries, it was like a weight had been lifted. My husband and I could not find work, and it was by chance that a pantry volunteer overheard that we were going hungry. When she gave us food, it changed my life.

Today, I’m a volunteer at that same pantry because I want to give back to my community.

The holidays are extra special at the pantry: we put on music, and I bake cookies for everyone. I don’t have a lot of money, but I can bake, I can share, and I can give my time.

For my family’s holiday meal, my husband and I go fishing, and then I cook everything I get from the Food Bank. My kids go back to school and tell everyone they’ve had a holiday feast. They don’t know the stress it is to put food on the table. They’re just happy to have a big holiday meal. And that’s the way the holidays should be.

Thank you for helping make sure the Food Bank can give me and my family, and everyone who needs some help, a very special holiday.”

Rich’s Story | “I personally know what it means to go hungry”

December 8, 2016

Food Bank staffer Rich Faafiu is our Lead Order Builder. This is his story. 

“People call me “Mr. Holidays” in the Food Bank warehouse. I supervise the massive operation of gathering, assembling, and sending out all of our food to our pantries. And during the holidays when things get really busy, I kick it into high gear.

I personally know what it means to go hungry, especially this time of year. When I was growing up in the projects in San Francisco, I often skipped meals because we didn’t have enough money.

My brothers and sisters and I had a single mom who worked several jobs, so we had to take care of ourselves. By the time I was nine, I was cooking for my siblings. I always fed everyone else first, so sometimes I went without. But my friends’ parents always gave me something to eat or a few dollars to help out.

Now I get to give back through my role at the Food Bank. So when I’m putting together those holiday pantry orders, it’s not just my job. I’m giving from the heart.

In that same spirit, I hope you give from your heart too.”

Resilient Bayview Church Rebuilds After Tragedy

November 30, 2016

It was an intense feeling of dread that pulled Food Bank partner Bishop Greg Valentine out of bed at 2 am one fateful Friday morning in August 2015.

“I think somebody I know just died, and I need to go to the church to pray,” he told his wife. It would be several hours before Bishop Valentine would realize his fears were justified.

It turns out a group of vandals had broken in and defiled his house of worship, St. Paul’s Tabernacle Baptist Church in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood. When he arrived later that morning, Valentine was greeted by yellow crime-scene tape and police officers.

“As I walked up the stairs, I remember Sister Beverly Taylor coming up to me and saying ‘Hey, you’d better get it together, they’re all depending on you,’” Bishop Valentine said. But nothing could prepare him for what he saw next.

Listen to Bishop Valentine and Sister Beverly Taylor describe the anguish and joy of their experience.

“The vandals really did a number, bleaching and urinating on the pews,” he recalled. “They spray-painted racial and homophobic slurs on walls and shattered a pair of giant mirrors. Hurtful is deep, but this went deeper.”

That week, Bishop Valentine held Sunday services outdoors to spare his congregation the shock and pain of seeing the desecrated church. His concern soon turned to the nearly 100 people who rely on the church’s food pantry every week. How would they get nutritious groceries when the church had to close down for repairs?

Sister Taylor, who helped start the church’s food pantry 20 years ago, was worried too: “There was a terrible need for people to be able to still go someplace to get something to eat,” she said. Fortunately, partners at nearby Providence Baptist Church Pantry stepped up to serve St. Paul’s pantry participants.

As horrible as the vandalism was, there was a silver lining, said Bishop Valentine. Within days, people with no affiliation to the church, from all walks of life, showed up and started painting walls, replacing the carpets, and repairing the pews.

Funds were raised, repairs were made, and nearly three months to the day from when the vandals struck, the church’s sanctuary was back, better than ever. This past September, St Paul’s Church celebrated its reopening and honored dozens of neighbors who helped put the small church back together again.

The food pantry reopened a week later on December 4th, much to the relief of Sister Taylor and the participants. “They were so happy the first day, to come back into the pantry – ‘our pantry’ as they call it,” she said. “They appreciate what they have every day.”

No arrests have been made, and investigators with the San Francisco Police Department continue to look into the case.

Feeling inspired? Help support our food pantry at St. Paul’s Church – and our pantry network throughout San Francisco and Marin – by making a donation.

 

Edith’s story | “How brave my mother was”

November 21, 2016

Food Bank staff member Edith collaborates with our pantry partners across San Francisco and Marin. This is her story.

“When I was growing up, my mother would take us to the food pantry. I was so embarrassed that my friends might see us and find out we didn’t have a lot of money.

As I got older and went to college, sometimes I couldn’t afford to eat, and I’d wait for the day I could go to the food pantry. What I realized as an adult was how brave my mother was. But I also came to appreciate the pantry volunteers who were always smiling, making me feel welcome, and creating a sense of community.

I knew that I wanted to give back and be a part of something that helped so many people. So I got a job at my local food Bank, and later came to the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. In fact, I just celebrated my one-year work anniversary!

As someone who’s been hungry and stood in line at a Food Bank pantry and someone who now works for the Food Bank, I know the incredible impact people like you have on so many lives. The holidays are especially hard for those struggling with hunger. Together, let’s make everyone’s Thanksgiving special.”

Feeling inspired? Make a donation now to help us provide fresh, healthy food for neighbors throughout this holiday season.