Category: Volunteers & Donors

Military Fights Hunger During Fleet Week Visit

October 5, 2017

The battle against hunger in San Francisco and Marin really heated up this month when active-duty members from the U.S. Marines Corps and the U.S. Navy stopped by the warehouse for a volunteer shift as part of the 2017 Fleet Week celebration in the Bay Area.

These men and women in uniform rolled up their sleeves (literally) and helped bag thousands of pounds of frozen corn.

Check out their visit in this video produced by the Marines:

Lance Corporal Christine Carter told KCBS Radio that her job in the Marines centers on combat logistics. Her role at the Food Bank was something a little easier, but still vitally important to the community. Listen to KCBS Radio reporter Jenna Lane’s story:

The visit was all part of the community work carried out by the military during the annual Fleet Week celebration in the Bay Area.  This was the fourth year in a row that uniformed volunteers  descended on our warehouse for active-duty food packing.

When it was over, the Marines and Navy personnel had managed to bag 2,800 lbs. of corn, just in time for it to be trucked out to the 250 food bank pantries this week and next. Mission Accomplished!

Click here for more information about how YOU can volunteer your time at the Food Bank.

2017 Community Partner Honoree | Gary Maxworthy

September 19, 2017

After spending much of his adult life leading a Bay Area-based food distribution company, Gary Maxworthy suffered through a tragedy.  It was 1994, he was 56 years old, and his first wife died.  As the grief slowly began to subside, Gary’s three children came together and suggested a change.  They wanted him to do something with his life that would strengthen his community.  Gary agreed and soon joined AmeriCorps as a VISTA volunteer. His first and only assignment was with the San Francisco Food Bank. His mission: to think of ways to address the growing problem of hunger.

This was at a time when food banks were distributing mostly boxed and canned non-perishable foods.  Gary had an inkling of an idea that not only would increase the amount of food we distributed, but also to provide tons of fresh, healthy produce for our participants.  He started reaching out to his old food distribution contacts – growers and packers up and down California – and asked if they would be willing to donate their extra produce to the Food Bank.  The initiative was called Farm to Family.

Eventually the idea took off.  Now, nearly two decades later Farm to Family serves a statewide network of 43 food banks, providing 180 million pounds of fresh produce every year.  Six-hundred thousand Californians are nourished by this food every week.  Just last year, Farm to Family delivered its one billionth pound of fresh produce!

While Farm to Family would be enough to make someone a “Food Hero,” Gary went beyond all of that.  He has been revered for his innovative spirit, his leadership, and his mentoring of Food Bank employees.

Gary announced his second retirement earlier this year, but before he could ride off into the sunset, he was chosen as the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank’s 2017 Community Partner Honoree for his incredible legacy and contribution to food banking, not just locally, but around the nation.

Watch Gary’s tribute video above.  And listen to Gary, in his own words, in this recent KQED Perspectives piece.

Meet Vivienne Flesher and Ward Shumaker | Members of the Breadwinners Circle

June 29, 2017

Artists Vivienne Flesher and Ward Shumaker have achieved international acclaim, exhibiting their art around the world. Through it all, they remain rooted in our community.

Thirty years ago, Ward purchased a charming, century-old house two blocks from the Food Bank. “I remember when the warehouse was built,” he said. “We’ve enjoyed watching the neighborhood change, and the addition of the warehouse made us doubly happy.”

Ward and Vivienne made their first gift to the Food Bank in 1995 and have supported our work over many years. Their generosity stems from a strong belief that everyone should have food, clothing, and a roof over their heads. For Ward, tithing was part of his Nebraska upbringing. Vivienne weaves philanthropy into daily life — when going out, she often brings warm clothing to give to homeless neighbors.

Wishing to get more involved, Vivienne recently offered pro-bono photography to the Food Bank. We jumped at the opportunity. She spent a morning at San Francisco State University, where we help low-income students enroll in CalFresh (formerly food stamps). We also provide free groceries on campus every week.

Rather than hide behind her camera, Vivienne talked with students, listened to their stories, and captured their essence with photographs — some are on this page.

“The kids were so warm and willing to share,” she said. “It broke my heart to see them struggling, and it was so moving to be able to help. It was an honor to photograph them.”

We are grateful for Breadwinners like Vivienne and Ward, who feel a personal responsibility to ensure everyone in our community has enough to eat.

Click here to find out how you can get involved!

Home-Delivered Groceries | Food & Friendship Door to Door

June 12, 2017

For many of our most vulnerable neighbors, food is more than the difference between an empty plate and a full stomach. It is also a lifeline – especially for neighbors who participate in the Food Bank’s Home-Delivered Groceries (HDG) Program.

For a closer look at the Home-Delivered Groceries program “in motion”, check out this video, taken at City Hope Community Center in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, featuring a beloved participant by the name of Susan who is visually impaired.

Then there’s the story of Marianne, who says the weekly delivery of fresh groceries she receives from the Food Bank is a life saver. She lives in a single-room-occupancy (SRO) hotel in San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood and struggles with many health challenges.

“I’m disabled and have a hard time getting around, so being able to get my hands on this food at home is literally saving my life,” she said.

Before enrolling, Marianne recalls it was a constant battle to get enough food to eat.  “I couldn’t feed myself. Thankfully neighbors would offer me meals every once in a while. But there were days when it was really scary just how hungry I was.”

Marianne is one of 1,400 people enrolled in the Food Bank’s Home-Delivered Groceries Program, which assists low-income seniors and adults with disabilities who are unable to get out to pick up groceries, but still able to prepare meals for themselves.

The goals of the program are to provide supplemental nutrition to neighbors in need, to reduce loneliness, and to check on the well-being of our homebound residents.

HDG Program Director Andy Burns recalls one volunteer who had been delivering groceries to a senior for more than a year.  “Of course she’s performing a check in with this gentleman each week to make sure he’s doing okay.  At one point, the volunteer became ill, and had to be hospitalized.  While she was recuperating, the participant became so concerned for her that he started calling her to check on how she was doing!”

On this particular Tuesday afternoon, the knock on Marianne’s door comes right on time, as she is busy preparing a crockpot stew and needs fresh carrots to make the meal sing. In addition to carrots, this particular delivery included apples, chicken, rice and other staples that will nourish Marianne until her next weekly delivery.

Home-Delivered groceries are also a treat for the volunteers on Marianne’s route – a team of developmentally disabled adults who are enrolled at the Pomeroy Recreation and Rehabilitation Center, where they learn work and life skills. On Tuesday mornings, the volunteers work together to pack these grocery bags, then they head out in the afternoon to make deliveries to 13 neighbors.

Pomeroy’s LouBee Zielinski coordinates the program and says the volunteers are thrilled to help. “They love the looks on peoples’ faces when the groceries arrive. And, to be empowered with something like providing food for others – that’s huge.  It’s like Christmas every week, and we get to be Santa Claus!”

In addition to the Pomeroy Center, there are eight other nonprofits which partner with the Food Bank’s HDG Program, but more partners are needed. For more information on our Home-Delivered Groceries program, how it operates, and how you can get involved, click here.

 

Meet Jayden, a Hunger Hero

May 26, 2017

Fifth grader Jayden and his family rely on weekly food assistance from the Food Bank, but his superpower is giving back. This little hero wakes up every Monday morning, two hours before school starts, to volunteer with his grandmother at their neighborhood food pantry.

When we asked him whether it’s hard to get up early, he says, “I do it to make sure that everyone who comes to school won’t be hungry.”

All year, kids like Jayden step up to help their families and community face hunger. But when schools close for the summer and families lose access to school meal programs, childhood hunger reaches its peak. Right now, proposed cuts to food assistance programs threaten to make childhood summer hunger even worse.

Luckily, today you have twice the power to fight childhood hunger. Through June 15th, PG&E is matching all gifts to the Food Bank. Please make a gift today and be a Summer Hunger Hero for kids like Jayden. Please donate here.

Thank you, Volunteers!

April 28, 2017

A message from Paul Ash, Executive Director

Happy National Volunteer Week!  This is the week when we at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank celebrate our amazing volunteers – even more than we usually do.

Our staff has created a special video to thank our volunteers. Click below to view.

When I first came to the Food Bank nearly 30 years ago, I had one goal in mind – to end hunger here in our community. While our staff was small, the need for our services was not.  It was clear right from the start that we would need the support of volunteers.

Year after year, as we grow and innovate, volunteers continue to be the cornerstone of our work. They are essential connectors between the fresh food that arrives in our warehouses every day and the children, seniors and families who rely on us daily for nutritious food.  With the support of our volunteers, the Food Bank will nourish 225,000 neighbors this year. 

Because of our volunteers, we have never wavered in our belief that we can provide food for all. For that, we say thank you.

Hold The Coffee: A Donor Story

February 22, 2017

Please forgive Amy Lawson if she seems a little “low-energy” at her next photo shoot.  She has decided to disrupt her regular coffee habit for a cause.

The 41-year-old make-up artist recently worked on an ad campaign for the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank and was so impressed with the entire operation, and with the mission to feed people in need, that she couldn’t help herself: “I just had to become a donor.”

And it’s not just a one-time gift either.  Due to her experience, Lawson now donates $10 every month and couldn’t be happier.

HOLD THE COFFEE 

“It’s such a cliché’ yet it’s so true.  With all the coffee I drink, its easy to see how cutting back on a couple of cups a month could really make a difference,” she said. “Even if it’s $10 dollars a month, you sometimes don’t know just how many people you could feed with that.   Don’t get me wrong, a one time donation is great, but people are hungry all year long.”

Lawson learned at an early age that giving back is almost a duty.  Her mother grew up in Korea right after the Korean War, and her father was the son of a coal-miner with 12 brothers and sisters.

“They both were extremely poor. My mother didn’t have any social-services programs where she grew up.  And my father recalls eating cheese and Christmas hams provided by the government,” Lawson said. “They literally would have died if not for the generosity of others.”

Although she never experienced poverty herself, Lawson was always taught to be considerate of people who don’t have access to food.

ITS SO EASY

So here she is now, doing what a lot of people do when they want to give back.  She’s skipping that latte’ and using the money to support her neighbors in need.  “It’s easy to do, the money is automatically deducted out of my account each month, and I don’t even notice it, yet I know that it will impact someone else’s life so much.”

It certainly does. Ten dollars can be turned into 50 dollars worth of food at the Food Bank.

If you would like to become a monthly donor like Amy, visit our donate page here.

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.”

 

 

 

Everyday Heroes at the Food Bank

January 13, 2017

Story and photographs by Marilyn Englander, Food Bank volunteer and founding head of REAL School Marin

Joe, the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank Community Engagement Coordinator, fondly calls them “The Sustainers.” He explained to me how a loyal group of volunteers faithfully shows up every week to help in the warehouse.

There is the Monday gang, and the Tuesday gang, Wednesday and Thursday groups. But many Mondays are also Tuesdays, and some come all four days. Their volunteer efforts equal the work of more than two full-time paid employees. Without them, the Food Bank could never get so much food out to the neighborhood pantries for neighbors in need.

Andy drives all the way from Vallejo, and Kevin takes a 30-minute bus ride from Mill Valley, then walks two miles on foot. Sandy always brings mouth-watering cookies to share during the morning break. They secretly plot birthday celebrations for fellow volunteers, everyone joining in to serenade as the honoree blushes. Starting out strangers, slowly they have become the backbone of the Novato operation, and also a community to each other.

I had decided to volunteer on a whim, choosing a slot open on the Food Bank website calendar. I assumed everyone did the same: once in a blue moon, we’d consider giving our time. The first day I turned up, I had no idea I was sorting, packing and stacking food alongside real experts. But I certainly admired Bryan’s skill as he rapidly assembled and taped boxes. Betty had mastered sorting slippery packages of frozen meat, and Peggy tirelessly leaned over and over again into a deep bin to retrieve heavy cans of beans. Mary had the wash-and-sanitize station under strict control. Jacky was there five days a week running the “shopping” area where small nonprofits come to choose supplies for their pantries.

The Sustainers exude enthusiasm and drive as they tackle each three-hour shift. You would imagine they were competing in an Olympic challenge, they show such focus and efficiency. They chat a little, but mostly it is a joyful frenzy: bag 300 pounds of pasta before noon, label 1200 jars of instant coffee — and get those labels on straight! One time we dug through 20 bushels of green peppers in 30 minutes, checking for blemishes before boxing them up for the pantries. It’s grunt work, but with the Sustainers in the lead, it’s as if we’re kids playing in a sandbox. And they do it day after day, week after week — heroes guaranteeing everyone gets to eat.

Feeling inspired?  Learn more about volunteering and sign up > sfmfoodbank.org/volunteer.

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.