Tag: Donor

A Gift for the Future: Carolyn’s Story

July 3, 2024

Carolyn Golden’s relationship with the Food Bank goes way back – back to the beginning, in fact. Prior to the merge of the Marin Food Bank and the San Francisco Food Bank in 2011, Carolyn saw an advertisement in the newspaper for a Marin Food Bank food drive. 

“I moved to Marin in 1980, about two years before I started with the Food Bank. They had an enormous turkey sitting in Corte Madera, in the town center. You would put bags of food down the chute into the turkey. I brought a bag of food and probably a check for $50. That’s how I started: how can I make an impact? I see this food, I know that it will feed people and I know what they can buy with the $50 donation,” Carolyn reminisced.  

Shortly after, she began donating her time at the original Marin warehouse. 

“I did some volunteering up at the Novato Center, which was the size of a small house. It was really tiny, and I went up to help sort and put food bags together. Compared to now, there are these enormous warehouses in Marin and in San Francisco!” 

Seeing Food Pantries in Action 

Outside of her work as a web developer, Carolyn volunteered as a tax preparer for low-income neighbors in Marin at a neighborhood resource center. One Friday volunteer day, Carolyn went down the hall to see the nearby food pantry in action. 

“I said, I’ve got to check out the food pantry and suggest that people use it – they can come to see me, and then go get some food. So, I walked down there one day and I went, oh my God, you’ve got salmon from Whole Foods, fabulous breads, all the fresh produce. They were letting people select what they wanted. I was also impressed by how caring and kind the volunteers behind the tables were to everyone,” she shared. “I was really impressed by the food – it was excellent quality food. And that was 20 years ago, so I know it’s getting better and better.” 

From Fresh Rescue items from local grocery stores to the farmer’s market-style setup, many elements have remained tried and true staples of Food Bank programming. Yet since Carolyn’s initial pantry visit, the Food Bank has continued to evolve immensely. 

Growing Together 

With even more fresh produce (now more than 70%!), larger warehouses, more families supported, and network of 350 partner organizations across San Francisco and Marin, the quality and scale of Food Bank operations has grown drastically. Through it all, Carolyn’s partnership has grown alongside it.  

“One thing that resonates with me about how special the Food Bank is, is that it’s so responsive to the situations affecting people today and looking to future needs. I believe that a dollar goes much further with the Food Bank – more bang for the buck,” Carolyn shared, speaking to her decision to increase her support and eventually become a major donor. “Although it felt good to buy food and then drop in in the bin for donation, [I realized] the Food Bank can buy so much more for the same dollars. I stopped giving food and increased my cash donations.”  

Yet her motivation for donating remains the same as the first day she brought a $50 check. 

“I just think, if you’re not eating, how are you going to do well in school? How are you going to be able to work? Food is the basis of everything to me.” 

A Legacy of Nourishment 

Recently, Carolyn decided to include the Food Bank in her will — because if there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s that food security is critical year in and year out. Thanks to her legacy commitment, Carolyn’s support of the Food Bank will continue even after she’s gone. But someday, she hopes the Food Bank will be obsolete. 

As she put it: “Wouldn’t it be nice if the Food Bank had to go out of business because there was no need?” 

We agree – and thanks to dedicated supporters like Carolyn, the Food Bank and our partner network can keep working towards that nourishing future for all our neighbors. To join Carolyn and add the Food Bank to a will for you or a loved one, please visit sfmfoodbank.org/legacy-giving. 

Volunteering: A Family Legacy

January 23, 2023

Family legacies come in all shapes and sizes: they might entail a craft or trade that spans generations of family members, a treasured recipe passed down from elders, or even an inherited love of a favorite sports team. For Andrew Lam, his family’s legacy “might just be the Food Bank.” In memory of his late mother Alice Lam, Andrew and his father Harry sponsored this year’s volunteer match that brought in more than 3500 volunteer shift sign ups – and $25,000 to benefit the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. 

“My mother volunteered a lot, for different food banks and for her church. So, my father and I thought that [this match] would be appropriate and would honor her,” Andrew shared. 

Food is at the Heart of it All 

Andrew and Harry began donating to the Food Bank in 2020 through the Alice Lam Memorial Foundation, and they’ve remained dedicated supporters ever since.  

“We support arts, legal aid for undocumented farmworkers, all kinds of things. But food is such a basic need. What my father and I believe is: food is the most important thing. Nothing else can come unless people are fed.” 

Food is interwoven throughout Andrew’s memories of growing up, too. “It’s a huge part of our family. I have a binder with all my mother’s recipes. Food can bring people together and make people feel good, too. You know, it’s not just sustenance. It can really improve somebody’s day.” 

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work 

Already on board with the mission of the Food Bank, Andrew shared that seeing the scope of the warehouse operations in-person opened his eyes to how crucial volunteers are. Speaking on that first warehouse visit, he told us: “It was great to see how people come out to volunteer. Obviously, money goes somewhere, but it doesn’t work without the volunteers doing the actual legwork.” 

After that experience, the Volunteer Match seemed like the perfect fit. Because, as Andrew knows, sometimes time is the most valuable gift one can give: “Everybody has different ways to give back, and it’s not just about money.”  

Volunteers are what power our entire operation at the Food Bank year-round, but during the early months of the new year, participation often wanes. That’s why we’re extra grateful to announce we met the match this year – thank you to every person who signed up for a volunteer shift!  

Ending Hunger, Together 

We’re also grateful for the partnership and generosity of caring neighbors like Andrew and his father, who understand that volunteering is an easy way to have a huge impact on the well-being of our community. Andrew hopes that he and his father can continue to rally their neighbors around volunteering for the good of all.  

“It’s direct aid to our community that we live in, so it means so much more to us. And it’s part of what you owe to your community – because you want to think that if you were on the other side, other people would help you, right?” 

Leaving a legacy to help end hunger

November 3, 2017

Mr. David and Rev. Dr. Susanna Singer have been Bay Area residents for 35 years, and advocates for its most vulnerable residents for that same tenure. Both born and raised in London, Susanna recalls that, while her family led a modest life, they always did for others and taught their children to have the same mindset.

“It was an absolute given that we should give back; it’s kind of bred in the bone,” says Susanna. “Our mother in some way was always organized in service outside of the home. It was just normal for her to do that; she has always done it. It was a value we grew up with.”

When they moved to the Bay Area in 1981, David started work in Silicon Valley and Susanna began her training to become a priest.

It was in 2001, around the time of the first recession, that Susanna and David began giving to the Food Bank. Susanna recalls she and David reading an article in the San Francisco Chronicle on food insecurity, and they knew they wanted to join the Food Bank in becoming part of the solution. Their first visit to the pantry and warehouse, where they witnessed the amount of fresh produce distributed, the quality of the food and the efficiency of the regional operation, served to impress them.

“That visit sealed the deal in terms of making it a regular part of our local giving,” says Susanna.

In addition to their annual giving, Susanna and David recently incorporated charitable provisions to the Food Bank into their estate planning, helping to ensure the future of the organization. They have become members of the Food For Life Circle.

“We thought, the Food Bank isn’t going anywhere; there is longevity to it. And the need is going to be there too,” explains Susanna. “It’s really very simple. The Food Bank is the best way we’ve seen to get food to people who need it.”