Have you heard of Giving Tuesday – the global day of charitable giving that takes place just five days after Thanksgiving? Coming just after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday is a chance to celebrate the joy that comes with giving from the heart – instead of at the register. And at a time of year when holiday shoppings lists, meal plans and travel logistics can dominate our day-to-day lives, Giving Tuesday encourages us to re-embrace our communities and come together with others to make an impact – and do you ever! As we prepare for the big day, we wanted to share some of the ways ..read more

Food is such an important part of how we celebrate this holiday season – but for 465,000 neighbors in Contra Costa and Solano who face hunger each month, food means even more. As you get ready to enjoy a day of good meals and good company, we’ve compiled five easy ways to help ensure all of us can do the same.  1. Support while you shop Thanks to two of our grocery partners, you can give back while you pick up those last-minute Thanksgiving ingredients!  Safeway, NBC Bay Area and Telemundo 48 are hosting their annual Nourishing Neighbors fundraiser at participating Safeways across t ..read more

Mary Ann Buggs knows how stressful hunger can be – even when it’s not the holiday season. Before she became the administrative director at Faith Food Fridays food pantry in Vallejo, she faced food insecurity as a single mom. “It weighs on your mind all day long: How am I going to feed these kids? How am I going to get the food? Where can I get the food?” she recalls.  But this holiday season already feels more intense than usual. Since September, Mary Ann has been receiving calls from parents who are anxious to register for Faith Food Fridays’ annual holiday toy giveaway. “It’s never been ..read more

Fresh fruits and vegetables are some of the most beloved items we distribute every week – and this year, we’ve been able to partner with local farmers to get even more great produce onto our neighbors’ tables. We’ve been working with five small farms, many of them led by women or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous or people of color) producers, to source some of the produce we distribute. The largest of these partners is Terra Firma Farm, a family-owned farm based largely in Solano County.  Co-owner Paul Underwood and sales manager Eric Yuke recently took us on a tour to show the impact this partne ..read more

Have you ever misplaced a container of leftovers at the back of your refrigerator? Or accidentally purchased an ingredient from the grocery store that you already had enough of at home? If so, you’ve had a little taste of the challenges our operations team at the Food Bank deals with every day. The only difference? We’re keeping track of a pair of warehouses with enough storage space to fill more than 360,000 refrigerators.  That’s why as part of our three-year strategic plan we’re upgrading and modernizing our warehouses. This project will ensure we can continue to keep track of everythi ..read more

A year ago, we introduced you to our new strategic plan – a three-year roadmap to greatly reduce the hunger gap in Contra Costa and Solano Counties and create lasting, positive change in our community.  As hunger continues to rise in our community, the bold, innovative solutions in this plan are more critical than ever. And with the support of dedicated hunger fighters like you we’ve adapted, stayed resourceful and made progress on our three goals:  Empowering our community partners, supporting better health outcomes for our neighbors and improving our ability to serve through data a ..read more

Over the past month, some volunteers at our warehouse have been hard at work on a new project: labeling thousands of cans of corn and green beans that were shipped to us by our friends at the Northern Illinois Food Bank completely free of charge.   But how did these “brights” (as unlabeled cans are often called) end up all the way out in California? That’s the result of partnerships across the country, as well as changes we’re making in-house to ensure we’re being as resourceful as possible with your gifts. An abundance in Illinois The food you have access to on a daily basis can lo ..read more

Kids are the future of our community – and when they get the nourishment they need to thrive, it makes a lifelong difference. That’s why in the most recent edition of At the Table, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano’s bi-annual newsletter, we’re sharing all the ways you’re creating a brighter future for children in our community.  As we continue serving twice as many people as we did pre-pandemic, your support means the world to us, and to your neighbors. We are doing all we can to stay in front of the need and be resourceful, but steadfast supporters like you are the ones who ensur ..read more

For the first time in the history of our Food Bank’s Advocacy Team, two of our CAP Advocates joined us at the Feeding America and Food Research and Action Center National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference and Lobby Day in Washington, D.C.  Food Bank Government and Public Affairs Manager Cassidie Carmen Bates, Strategic Partnerships Facilitator Hailey Solares and CAP Advocates Jenny Berten and Keva Dean attended the three-day conference in May, which highlighted the importance of centering lived expertise in all aspects of the policy process. The conference was followed by a productive day of ..read more

CalFresh (known federally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) makes it easier to buy groceries when money is tight – but for neighbors in their fifties, accessing this important nutritional benefit is about to get more difficult.  Here’s what you need to know about how the new deal to raise the federal debt ceiling will impact food aid, and likely increase hunger in our community for older adults. What’s changing The deal imposes new work requirements on adults aged 50 to 54 who access CalFresh/SNAP benefits. These older adults will now need to prove they are ..read more