This past Wednesday, Metallica held their first-ever “Day of Service,” an opportunity for fans to join the band members in chipping in at food banks and giving back to their communities. The event was an extension of the group’s charitable All Within My Hands Foundation, which aids in critical local services and supports workforce education and the fight against hunger. Drummer Lars Ulrich pitched in at the San Francisco–Marin Food Bank, where he packed oranges into crates for people in need and rubbed elbows with fans. Here, he explains why it was important for Metallica to shed light on the cause and what he learned from it.

Lars Ulrich Essay

Members of the legendary Bay Area heavy metal band “Metallica” recently got together with their nonprofit foundation “All Within My Hands” to urge fans around the nation to volunteer at their local food bank.

The band’s legendary drummer, Lars Ulrich paid a visit to the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank to put in a little sweat equity himself.  He was greeted by reporters from:

KCBS Radio

ABC7

NBC Bay Area 

KTVU2

NBC Los Angeles also did its own story

Earlier this month the Food Bank participated in yet another Stamp Out Hunger food drive with Letter Carriers in San Francisco and Marin.

KCBS Radio reporter Jeffrey Schaub stopped by the Marin warehouse where we collected about 65,000 pounds of food!

As the House Agriculture Committee debated the 2018 Farm Bill on Wednesday in Washington, the most controversial component of the bill had nothing to do with agriculture, but rather, hunger.

Bay Area food banks and House Democrats said that the country’s most vulnerable populations would be severely hurt by Republicans’ proposed changes to food stamps, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program portion of the bill. House Republicans have proposed more stringent food stamp eligibility and work requirements, which anti-hunger groups say will lead to millions losing an essential but modest safety net that provides an average of $1.40 per person per meal.

Read more of San Francisco Chronicle Reporter Tara Duggan’s story, published April 18th, 2018

The Food Bank is always looking for new ways to bring more people closer to the mission of ending hunger in our community.  Recently, the warehouse served as the backdrop for a bachelorette party.

ABC7 News was there

KCBS Radio also covered the event…

The Food Bank was approached by Reporter Nicole Wallace, who was doing a feature on mid-level giving for the Chronicles of Philanthropy magazine.  They asked for an interview with our Director of Development at the time, Bob Brennaman.

Chronicles of Philanthropy: Mid-Level Donor Programs Grow in Popularity

The Food Bank has long been trying to tackle hunger on college campuses, opening up pantries at most of the places of higher learning in our service region.  The pantry on the San Francisco State University campus is celebrating one year in existence, good enogh to bring out a few reporters

Scott Lettieri from KCBS Radio

Ruby Virchow from the Golden Gate Express

The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank is pleased to announce plans to move our operations in Marin to a large warehouse property we purchased earlier this year in San Rafael.

The 38,000 square foot building, located at 2550 Kerner Boulevard in San Rafael, contains both warehouse and office space, and is approximately three times larger than the facility we currently lease in Novato.

“This new property is a game changer for our organization – and for our community,” said Food Bank Executive Director Paul Ash.  “For several years, we have been looking for additional warehouse space that would enable us to continue growing our operations and serve even more neighbors in need. This new facility will enable us to do just that – to increase our food distribution, add more services, and engage with more Marin residents who wish to volunteer their time in our warehouse.”

Food distribution to Marin pantries and partners will continue uninterrupted during the move, but volunteer shifts in Marin have been temporarily suspended as the new site undergoes some construction to create optimal work-space.

This news garnered some coverage online, in newspapers, on radio and on television.  Check out some of the local news coverage below.

KCBS Radio

SF Eater

Marin Independent Journal

IJ Editorial

IJ Columnist Vicki Larson

MARIN MOMMIES BLOG

Earlier this week the Trump Administration unveiled a proposal to scrap SNAP payments for hungry families and administer “harvest food boxes” instead.  The idea captured a lot of attention and some news coverage for Paul Ash including this story on ABC7 with reporter Carolyn Tyler

President Trump released his budget proposal for 2018 that – if approved – would cut and cripple a number of vital safety-net programs, including SNAP.  Trump’s proposal includes things like:

• Reduce SNAP spending by $213.5 BILLION over 10 years
• Partially replace EBT benefits with a box of food commodities from USDA
• Penalize large families by imposing a cap at 6 people per household
• Eliminate the minimum benefit

The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank was quick to act, submitting a strongly worded statement (Below).

We are deeply troubled by the President’s proposed federal budget released yesterday, which takes direct aim at our country’s most important and effective anti-hunger program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (called CalFresh in California). These proposals to slash funding and dismantle the program would amount to over $200 billion in cuts over 10 years – equivalent to 30% of the program’s budget – through cruel and ill-conceived ideas like partially replacing benefits with boxes of USDA commodities, capping benefits for large households, and eliminating the minimum benefit. We recognize the harmful effect that this negative rhetoric has on our communities and the people we serve, and we continue to remain firmly committed to using our voice to elevate the importance of federal nutrition programs like SNAP for the 4 million Californians who rely on the program to nourish their families.

ABC7 Reporter Carolyn Tyler did a story on Trump’s budget, featuring a soundbite from our Executive Director Paul Ash.  View that story here.

Paul Ash was also heard on KQED Radio, discussing the Trump Budget and it’s negative effect on Food Banks across the nation.  Hear that story here.

If you would like to help the Food Bank through these trying times, consider giving a donation, filling a volunteer shift, or following us on Twitter, Facebook, and/or Instagram.