Our network of 250 food pantries brings food into the neighborhoods where it’s most needed. But while sharing weekly groceries with our neighbors is essential to address the immediate hunger in our community, it isn’t the whole story. We can’t end hunger without addressing its root causes. And that means advocating, in coalition locally and […] The post Advocating for Real Change: Greer’s Story appeared first on San Francisco-Marin Food Bank ..read more

Shortly after daybreak every Tuesday, Aurelia Vargas and a team of volunteers set up boxes of groceries on tables outside the Canal Alliance offices in San Rafael. The boxes are always full of fresh produce and other healthy foods supplied by the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. On a recent morning, Aurelia, Coordinator of the Canal […] The post Nourishing Immigrant Families in San Rafael appeared first on San Francisco-Marin Food Bank ..read more

Ending hunger starts with policy change, and policy change starts at the ballot box. To encourage civic engagement around the issue of hunger in the City and County of San Francisco, the Food Bank partnered with the League of Women Voters and UCSF in co-sponsoring a San Francisco Mayor Candidate Forum on Sept. 30, 2024, […] The post Food Bank Hosts SF Mayoral Candidate Watch Party appeared first on San Francisco-Marin Food Bank ..read more

Coming from an Italian family where a full belly was the highest compliment, Food Bank volunteer Sam grew up knowing that food was “a big deal.”   “Without food, I feel like life would be boring,” he shared. “Food is a way for people to show how much they care about people, without knowing how to […] The post “Kindness is Strength”: Sam’s Story appeared first on San Francisco-Marin Food Bank ..read more

Once a week, a familiar face stops by a Pop-up Pantry in the Richmond district for an afternoon volunteer shift: coordinating the check-in process, breaking down cardboard, and helping share groceries with hundreds of neighbors each week.   Meet Gary. He’s a retired special education teacher and a regular pantry volunteer: “I have had cordial interactions almost universally at the pantry, and I find being outside positively reinforcing,” he shared.   But socializing and fresh air aren’t the only reasons he chose to volunteer with the Food Bank.   “My rejoinder is ..read more

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 ..read more

On April 30, our Policy and Advocacy team gathered in-person with the California Hunger Action Coalition (CHAC) in Sacramento to raise their voices for Hunger Action Day! Hunger Action Day is the single largest anti-hunger advocacy day in California, bringing advocates from across the state to the State Capitol to speak face-to-face with our policymakers.  Associate Director of Policy and Advocacy Marchon, Community Organizer Alex, and Community Builder Jesus all traveled to Sacramento to represent the Food Bank. After an energetic pep rally outside of the Capitol, where we saw neighbors ..read more

“It’s like an Easter egg hunt!”  Those were the words of Benny Pausanos, Senior Fresh Rescue Driver at the Food Bank – and he meant it quite literally. On a sunny Wednesday morning in April, Benny was busy digging through banana boxes in a Trader Joe’s parking lot, searching for stray cartons of eggs while repackaging a caseload of donated groceries.  Benny’s quest might not immediately seem like a climate-related activity. But when it comes to fighting the climate crisis, food banking might be a bigger part of the solution than many realize. This Earth Day, let’s take a tour of Foo ..read more

Walking into La Raza Community Resource Center on a hot San Francisco summer day last year, we were immediately greeted by an extra layer of warmth: the enthusiastic welcome of La Raza’s staff and pantry volunteers. Nestled in the historic Mission district on Valencia Street, La Raza is a trusted one-stop shop for food and social services that’s been serving the Latinx community since 1979. Collaborating With Community  In partnership with the Food Bank, La Raza holds a farmer’s market style food pantry for the community on Wednesdays, serving roughly 330 families each week. Volunte ..read more

Volunteering with the Food Bank in May 2020 was really a no-brainer for Mitchell. As a retired government worker for various public health agencies, he already had a deep knowledge of epidemics and health outbreaks. Combined with the driving force of his faith, Mitchell knew he wanted to help his community out during a difficult and pivotal time.  “I come from a Jewish culture that mandates we help repair the world. I heard that the Food Bank needed volunteers, so I went down, I signed up and that’s where I’ve been,” Mitchell told us.  Community: An Antidote to Isolation Today, Mitc ..read more