Category: Advocacy

Neighbors Leading the Way: Celebrating Our Food CARE Council and Peer Navigators

July 13, 2026

Several graduates of the second Food CARE Council cohort

Ending hunger in San Francisco and Marin takes more than distributing food. It takes changing the systems and structures that created the hunger crisis in the first place, and it takes neighbors who have faced hunger helping to lead the way. That is the idea behind the Food Bank’s peer leadership programs, where neighbors turn their own experience into change, some by connecting others to services, others by pushing for policies that can end hunger.  

On a sunny June afternoon in the Welcome Center of our Pennsylvania Avenue warehouse, a gathering was held to honor two graduating cohorts of the Food Bank’s peer leadership programs: the 13  members in the second Food CARE Council and the eight inaugural Peer Navigators.  

Advocacy rooted in experience 

The Food CARE Council brings together neighbors who have experienced hunger firsthand. It’s part of Seeding Change, the Food Bank’s three-year effort to address hunger at its roots. Over a few hours together each month, members learn the ropes of advocacy and public speaking, get a feel for how policy actually gets made and put their own experience to work on the Food Bank’s policy agenda. 

This year’s group leaned into community, opening every meeting with the same simple question: How is everyone doing? 

“This year we focused less on pushing every detail of how a bill becomes law, and more on gathering, talking and sharing what our neighbors are seeing,” said Policy and Advocacy Manager Alex Raffanti, who leads the program. “We found the same issues come up no matter where you live. That’s what brings us together.” 

Members took that shared vision to Sacramento for California Hunger Action Day, where they and some Peer Navigators sat down with their own legislators and wrote postcards for their neighbors. 

When we asked Gianna, a student who relies on Gator Groceries, San Francisco State University’s community food site run in partnership with the Food Bank, what graduation meant to her, she didn’t mention policy at all. 

“It means I found a second family for myself,” she said. “I found my community, and I found what I’m really passionate about, which is ending hunger.” 

Jessica joined the Council after being laid off from a job of 27 years, losing her health insurance the same day. Advocacy, it turned out, came easier than she expected. 

“I would never have gone to Sacramento or written a postcard on my own,” she said. “But the message that came through, over and over, was that your voice matters. Not everybody can speak up. So if you can, you should.” 

Guadalupe and a select group of the inaugural Peer Navigator graduates.

Connecting neighbors to more than food 

The same conviction drives our Peer Navigators. Where the Food CARE Council pushes to change policy, the Peer Navigator program helps open pathways to mobility. Peer Navigators use their own experience to connect neighbors with services beyond food. They help neighbors secure stable housing and connect them to rental assistance workshops. They also guide families through energy assistance applications, easing the burden of utility debt. Job searches, childcare and countless other referrals round out their work, each one specifically tailored to that person’s unique needs. 

“While many resources and services are available, navigating them can feel overwhelming and time-consuming when you’re already facing other challenges,” said Bilingual Community Connections Manager Guadalupe Gonzalez, who leads the program. “Our volunteers have helped bridge that gap by providing compassionate, one-on-one support. They have also supported participants with job searches, connected families to childcare resources.” 

Glenn has served as both a Food CARE Council member and a Peer Navigator. Not long ago, a market visitor stopped to thank him for his support — a referral had helped her land a job. 

“Out of the 150 hours my coworkers and I have spent doing this work, that one hour really paid off,” he said. “We brightened a person’s life, and their family’s life.” 

Two paths to the same goal 

Whether they’re meeting a legislator in Sacramento or a neighbor at the market, these cohorts show what happens when the people motivated to end hunger — either by personal experience or dedication to their community — step forward to do so. We’re so proud of this year’s graduates, and we can’t wait to see where they lead next. 

Speaking Truth, Seeding Change

July 1, 2026

On the way to Sacramento.

It was a rainy and cool April morning in San Francisco, the kind of day that keeps people indoors. But roughly 40 advocates and San Francisco-Marin Food Bank staff went outside anyway, boarding a chartered bus bound for Sacramento and Hunger Action Day, the largest anti-hunger advocacy day in California.  

They came from across the Food Bank: Food CARE Council members, Peer Navigators from our Community Markets, our Policy and Advocacy team and staff members motivated to learn more about the organization’s advocacy efforts. It was our biggest delegation yet. They were headed for the State Capitol at a moment when food access restrictions included last summer’s federal budget cuts to SNAP, known as CalFresh in California, are putting our neighbors’ food benefits at risk. Hunger is a solvable problem, but we can’t food bank our way out of it. We have to advocate to change the policies that create it.  

On the bus, Kayley, a Food CARE Council member, was grinning. “I feel like I’m on a field trip,” she said. “I feel like I’m a kid again. I’m nervous, but I’m excited.”  

Kayley, a Food CARE member who found her voice.

Advocating for Change 

 The Food CARE (Community Advocacy, Resilience, & Equity) Council is our communityled advocacy group, made up of San Francisco and Marin residents who have lived through hunger themselves. They help shape the Food Bank’s annual Policy Priorities Survey, which directly informs our Legislative Priorities.  

Another important aspect is sharing their stories with policymakers, testifying at hearings, and meeting with state and local lawmakers. As someone who’d never spoken publicly for neighbors who grew up food insecure like she did, Kayley started the cohort quiet. 

 “Day one I was super to myself, super shy,” she said. “I believed food is a right, but I never thought I’d be the advocate to go say that to somebody.” 

 Over the next nine months, she and her cohort moved through a curriculum built to turn lived experience into policy expertise: local and state policy foundations, media training, storytelling workshops, mock Advocacy Day meetings, and Hunger Action Day prep. With every session, Kaley grew more confident. By the time the bus pulled into Sacramento, she was ready.  

Annette and Peter, getting ready to advocace.

At the Capitol 

At the Food Bank, we believe food is a human right. That belief is the foundation of Seeding Change, our multi-year policy and advocacy campaign, and Hunger Action Day is one of the moments where it shows up most clearly. Last year, alongside our anti-hunger coalition partners, we helped secure more than $165 million in state funding for school meals, summer food for kids, and Market Match, which doubles CalFresh dollars at farmers markets. This year, the cohort was in Sacramento to push for more.  

The rain was still coming down when the bus pulled into the state capitol. The cohort prevailed anyway, holding five meetings with state senators and assembly members over the course of the day, including a visit to State Senator Scott Wiener’s office.  

“Advocating in person matters so much,” said Alex Raffanti, our Policy and Advocacy Manager. “Every single time you mention a statistic as a food bank person, all they can see is the numbers. They don’t have anything to back that up. When we bring advocates to the Capitol, we’re sharing stories and real people that connect to the stats.”  

Peter, a Peer Navigator at the Western Addition Community Market, was one of those advocates. He and his wife Annette serve neighbors at that same Market together. In Sacramento, Peter carried that experience into legislator meetings. 

 “It’s very important to have lived experience,” he said, “because you can actually feel and talk from the heart. Not just from a storybook or just listening. When you have experienced it, you really know the nuances.”  

Kayley spoke in support of the Count Hunger Act, which the Food Bank helped develop with Assemblymember Catherine Stefani to restore California’s annual data on hunger. 

 “I grew up food insecure,” she told one assemblymember’s office. Referring to the Food Bank’s findings on how many SF county households don’t earn enough to meet their basic needs and the need for reliable data on food insecurity, she shared, “I was [one of the] 1 in 4 in San Francisco. Without measurements, we can’t solve the problem.”  

 By the end of the day, Kayley had walked into a State Senator’s office and told her own story. 

 “I was definitely nervous,” she said, “but getting out there and just speaking my truth, that’s where I felt comfortable. I want to keep doing this. I want to take the next step every day.” 

 That’s what Seeding Change looks like in motion. The Food Bank, our coalition partners, and the neighbors who know hunger best, all at the state capitol, advocating for lasting change. 

Take Action: Support The Count Hunger Act (AB 1734)

April 9, 2026

Every week, food banks across California use data to figure out where hunger is growing and which neighborhoods need more resources. That data shapes how we get food to families in need. When it disappears, the families don’t — we just lose the ability to see them. 

Last October, the federal government eliminated the USDA’s annual Hunger Survey — a critical tool the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank and food banks across the state use to measure and mitigate hunger. Futhermore, funding for the food insecurity screener in the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) is also in jeopardy due to unstable funding. Without these tools, food banks and policymakers lose sight of who needs help and where. The Count Hunger Act, AB 1734, would restore California’s ability to track where hunger exists, so communities and lawmakers can act on it. 

AB 1734 heads to the Assembly Committee on Higher Education on Wednesday, April 14 at 1:30 PM. If passed by the Legislators and sign by the Governor, AB 1734 would fund the CHIS food screener study conducted by UCLA for a two-year pilot and expand the survey’s measurement of hunger from 200% of the Federal Poverty Level to 400%. In the Bay Area, a family of four earning $128,000 — twice the 200% FPL benchmark — can still struggle to put food on the table — and right now, the state has no reliable way to count them.  

Our Food Bank is nonpartisan, but we advocate for policies and programs aligned with our mission — eliminating hunger and its root causes. We know we can’t address hunger and its root causes without reliable information on where hunger is in our communities. 

Hunger doesn’t go away if you don’t count it. 

Submit a Public Comment 

You can support AB 1734 by submitting a comment through the Assembly’s online portal. You don’t have to wait until April 14 — any time this week works. Phone comments are not accepted. 

Below is a sample letter. Personalize the bracketed fields, copy it, and paste it into the portal. 

Sample Letter (Please place on letterhead)— Copy and Paste into the Portal 

Hello Assemblymember___________, 

My name is ______________ (please insert your title and organization). I’m reaching out to share my support of the Count Hunger Act, AB 1734. This bill relates to restoring funding for the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) food screener study conducted by UCLA, which is in jeopardy because of unstable funding. AB 1734 would also expand the survey from 200% FPL to 400% FPL to better understand hunger in CA. 

Why this matters: 

In October 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) discontinued its annual hunger survey, the largest and most consistent dataset on food insecurity in the country, and the backbone of Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap. The uncertainty of CHIS funding and the discontinuation of the national service will leave a significant gap in data on food insecurity. 

The CHIS study, unique to California, has been a valuable supplement alongside the CPS-FSS. Conducted annually by UCLA’s Center for Health Policy Research, CHIS also measures food security and can reach several Asian and Latine subpopulations that the USDA survey cannot. It also enabled analysis of the relationships between food security and health or social conditions, as well as comparisons of counties and regions within the state. 

This study is vital for addressing hunger based on scope and data-driven information. 

The ask: 

Please support these efforts with an Aye vote! 

Thank you. 

In Community, 

Name Title | Organization 

Public Comment Portal: https://calegislation.lc.ca.gov/Advocates  

Portal Guidance: https://abgt.assembly.ca.gov/hearings 

Questions? Email Marchon Tatmon at mtatmon@sfmfoodbank.org. 

 

Showing Up for Community During the Shutdown

March 17, 2026

Paul Russell, director of operations at NMCS

On a Friday morning in early December, volunteers load fresh produce into car trunks at North Marin Community Services (NMCS) in Novato. The 43-day government shutdown, the longest in our nation’s history, ended weeks earlier, but the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank’s emergency food distributions continued.

The shutdown had cut off CalFresh benefits — California’s SNAP program — for 125,000 people across San Francisco and Marin, while leaving thousands of federal workers without paychecks. Both groups were still catching up on bills, with no relief in sight.

Working with partners throughout the region, the Food Bank launched its Shutdown Community Response to quickly get fresh, nutritious food to the people who needed it most. Twenty-four community partners and 7,000 volunteers stepped up to meet the surge in need. An unprecedented public-private partnership distributed more than $14.3 million in direct purchasing power to 67,597 San Franciscans.

By the end, the response delivered 1.1 million extra pounds of food, providing 800,000 meals to households that would have otherwise gone without.

Valerie, a retired nurse who has volunteered with the Food Bank since 2020.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

“When we put out a call for help, we knew our community would answer,” said Paul Russell, director of operations at NMCS.

“NMCS started to get calls directly from the community saying, ‘I hear this is happening. I’m concerned my neighbors are going to go without food. What can we bring for you that will be helpful for them?'”

They showed up in droves. Valerie, a retired nurse who has volunteered at the Novato pantry every Tuesday since 2020, drove up from Mill Valley for the extra Friday distribution.

“People don’t ask for hard times,” she said, “but hard times happen when you don’t expect it and you aren’t prepared for it.”

In just one month, NMCS received approximately 12 pallets of donated food from neighbors, schools, churches, and businesses, complementing the fresh produce NMCS distributes through the Food Bank’s Neighborhood Food Network. Together, the Food Bank and NMCS added emergency Friday distributions to supplement the regular Tuesday pantry, serving 60 to 70 households each week.

Jennie, a longtime participant who was grateful for the extra groceries.

“It Was Absolutely Horrifying”

Among them was Jennie, who has relied on the pantry at NMCS for seven years. Living alone in Novato, she depends on it and her CalFresh benefits to make ends meet. Without the pantry, the cost of groceries alone would be overwhelming.

“Sometimes it just comes down to dollars and cents,” she said. “It’s 10 bucks for this, eight bucks for that… it could be $50 a week.”

When the shutdown cut her benefits, she faced an impossible choice between paying rent and buying groceries.

“It was absolutely horrifying,” Jennie said. “None of us knew when they were going to come back.”

The extra Friday distributions kept Jennie afloat while her CalFresh benefits were paused. They’ve since been reinstated, but she knows that plenty of people in her community are still struggling with food insecurity.

For Jennie, though, the pantry has become more than a place to pick up groceries. It’s where she sees her community show up for each other.

“If I’m just feeling really depressed and I come here, it really helps my mood ” she said. “Just seeing the people get the food and that makes me happy.”

The Mission Continues

After nearly six years volunteering with the Food Bank (and through two unprecedented emergencies), Valerie saw firsthand how hunger touches every corner of her community.

“I see all the faces of people who do experience food insecurity, and it’s all walks of life,” she said. “Seniors, and I’m a senior now. I just can relate. It could be me.”

For Jennie, Valerie, and Russell, the shutdown made one thing clear: hunger is a policy choice. With billions in SNAP cuts on the horizon, the threats to food security aren’t going away. But neither is the community that showed up.

Over those two months, Russell saw the proof of community in the parking lot.

“The fact that I look right in front of me and I see pallets of food that have been brought in as a response from neighbors, from schools, from churches, businesses,” he said.

“Everyone came to us right away. And it was gratifying that they saw us as the organization that’s going to respond.”

When the safety net fails, partnerships between the Food Bank and organizations like NMCS — fueled by volunteers like Valerie and neighbors who refuse to let anyone go hungry — hold people up.

“The mission is just so necessary, especially now,” Valerie said.

Jennie is in agreement.

“There’s so many horrible things happening in the world that I try to create joy and beauty and observe it whenever I can,” she said. “This [place] is one of those little nuggets.”

Hunger Doesn’t Go Away If You Don’t Count It

February 2, 2026

“Hunger doesn’t just go away because you stop counting it.” 

That was the message from the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank’s Executive Director Tanis Crosby at a Jan. 30 press conference announcing new state legislation to protect food insecurity data in California. 

“Let’s be clear. Our neighbors are counting on us, so we’ve got to count what matters,” she continued. “We cannot serve our community without data and insight into hunger.” 

State Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (D-19) introduced The Count Hunger Act, which would restore funding for a screening tool that identifies food insecurity across California. In early January, the food insecurity screener, a critical part of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), was canceled when the administration eliminated SNAP-Ed funding. 

“The federal government chose to stop counting hunger and hope no one would notice,” said Assemblymember Stefani. “But hunger doesn’t disappear when you stop measuring it — it just gets easier to ignore. This proposal is about California stepping up where Washington walked away, restoring the data communities need to understand who is struggling, target help, and confront food insecurity with honesty and urgency.” 

This latest cut is part of a pattern. In October 2025, the USDA canceled the nation’s annual Hunger Survey. Now, expected cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could cause as many as 22,000 San Francisco and Marin residents to lose access to this critical food assistance program. 

Noriko Lim Tepper, the Food Bank’s Chief Strategic Partnership, Advocacy and Voice Officer, emphasized that the proposed legislation goes beyond restoring data collection. It would also pilot expanded guidelines to assess hunger in high-cost areas. 

“We cannot afford to leave valuable information on where hunger exists in the dark,” said Noriko. “Reliable methods for identifying food insecurity can help improve outcomes for our working families. Families earning nearly twice the 200% FPL — the federal poverty level — benchmark, which is about $64,000 for a family of four, are still struggling. If the FPL in the CHIS screener doubles, this ensures every Californian experiencing food insecurity is seen.” 

Greer Dove, a former Food CARE (Community Advocacy Resilience Equity) Council member, knows these challenges personally. 

“Living in the Bay Area is so expensive,” she said. “I am so happy that Assemblymember Stefani is proposing this bill, both to be able to continue finding the people that need this help and also to be able to expand the benefits that people need.” 

If approved, the two-year pilot would restore CHIS food insecurity funding and expand eligibility to reflect reality: many working families earning above traditional poverty thresholds still can’t afford food amid rising housing and living costs. This expanded definition could eventually inform eligibility criteria for programs like CalFresh. 

For the Food Bank, backing this legislation is a natural fit. Data-informed decision-making drives everything we do, from the policies we support to how we get food to our neighbors. We can’t solve a problem we can’t see. And as Tanis said: we’ve got to count what matters. 

The January 30 press conference received ample media coverage, with several news outlets covering the event, including KQED, KCBS, KTVU-TV and KRON4-TV.

Food Bank Update: Shutdown Community Response

October 31, 2025

On Saturday, November 1, people who rely on SNAP to put food on the table will not receive their benefits due to the ongoing government shutdown and decision by the USDA not to use emergency funds to support the program during the shutdown. The federal government is pulling the safety net out from under children, low-income working people, seniors, and people with disabilities. This is a devastating blow to 90,000 families in San Francisco and Marin – and millions more nationwide – who are already struggling.

We are already seeing a surge in demand for our services. Traffic to our food locator tool on our website has gone up 250% in the past week.

In the face of a crisis that was created by our federal government, we will work with our community to support impacted families and individuals.

Our Shutdown Community Response 

  • Direct cash assistance: we are proud to be in partnership with the city and county of San Francisco and the Crankstart Foundation to help provide gift cards to SNAP recipients in San Francisco to cover benefits in November. We are thrilled to see this happening, it’s an example of how public, private, and nonprofit partnerships can support our community. While we are concerned about what will happen if the shutdown lasts past November, we are relieved families in San Francisco will receive this temporary support this month. The Food Bank is actively advocating and mobilizing for a similar program in Marin.
  • Increasing community capacity: we are working with our community partners and other local organizations to support a temporary increase in their capacity to distribute food to individuals who are impacted by the shutdown. We are actively working through those plans with our partners, but this will include a temporary emergency increase in food pantry capacity along with opportunities for agencies to pick up pre-packed bags of food to deliver to their impacted community members.
  • Increased Home-Delivered Groceries: we plan to temporarily expand our Home-Delivered Grocery program to support community members who are unable to go to a food pantry right now to get the food they need.

If You Need Help 

Our temporary Shutdown Community Response programs will be available to community members who have lost benefits, government employees impacted by the shutdown, and/or neighbors impacted by increased federal immigration enforcement activity.

San Francisco households eligible for support through the pre-paid gift card program will receive a letter from the San Francisco Human Services Agency (SFHSA) that contains information on how to access their card. Letters will be sent in the first week of November. For more information about the program, visit: CalFresh Emergency Aid | sfhsa.org 

For those impacted by this shutdown or federal government immigration enforcement who need food assistance, please visit our Find Food page regularly. We are still actively working through our community response plan and many details are still coming together.  

For partners and other community organizations that are interested in joining us in this work to bring food to our community, please visit our Partner page regularly. We are still actively working through our community response plan and will have opportunities for you to engage shortly.

To Support the Food Bank 

We can’t do this alone. We are already stretched thin with limited capacity and record demand due to a hunger crisis that predated the shutdown.

You can support us by donating at www.sfmfoodbank.org/donate.  

To volunteer your time, visit www.sfmfoodbank.org/volunteer. Please note, November and December are our busiest volunteer months of the year. If you don’t see a shift please check back regularly as we are continuing to update volunteer opportunities as we develop our Shutdown Community Response plans.

Celebrating Policy Wins for Ending Hunger

October 16, 2025

At the Food Bank, we believe food is a human right. Recent policy wins at the state level are helping move us closer to a future where everyone in California can count on consistent access to healthy food and a stronger safety net. 

This year, several of the anti-hunger initiatives we supported were signed into law thanks to  Governor Gavin Newsom and the advocacy of our partners across the state. Together, we’re making meaningful progress toward ending hunger in California. 

These accomplishments reflect the tireless efforts of our Policy & Advocacy team, who work alongside lawmakers and community advocates to make sure the voices of those most impacted by hunger are heard — and that policies reflect the real needs of our neighbors. 

We’re especially grateful to our legislative partners, statewide advocates, and members of our Food Policy and Advocacy Community Council (Food PACC), whose lived experience and leadership help guide our work every step of the way. 

During the budget and bill process, we successfully advanced the following initiatives with the governor’s signature: 

  • Food Insecurity Officer (AB 119): Requires the California Department of Social Services to develop new methods for estimating CalFresh and CFAP participation rates and identifying Californians eligible for benefits by 2026. The department will submit a legislative report with policy and budget recommendations to reduce food insecurity and improve enrollment in food and nutrition programs. 
  • CalFood Funding: Secures $60 million for FY 25-26 to sustain the program, plus an additional $20 million to continue providing California-grown food to food banks statewide. 
  • California Nutrition Incentives Program (CNIP): Provides $35 million for FY 25-26 to sustain Market Match, helping families stretch their food budgets while supporting local farmers. Through Market Match, CalFresh users get a dollar-for-dollar match at participating farmers markets. 
  • Food4All: Continues the plan to expand the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) for older adults, regardless of immigration status, by October 2027. 
  •  School Meals for All: Adds $90.7 million in FY 25-26 funding for the program and $160 million for kitchen upgrades in schools across the state. 
  • SUN Bucks: Provides $40 million for FY 25-26 to support implementation of this summer nutrition benefit program. 
  • CalFresh Semiannual Reporting Workgroup: Convenes a group including county welfare directors, eligibility workers, the Statewide Automated Welfare System, and client advocates to explore changes that will reduce the reporting burden on CalFresh recipients and streamline the process for counties. 
  • Pupil Nutrition: Ensures continued, adequate funding to strengthen student nutrition programs, including school breakfast and lunch. 
  • College Student Awareness of Public Benefits: improves coordination between county-level higher-education liaisons and college students so more students can access food and other public resources. 

With every win, we’re reminded that ending hunger takes all of us — community members, lawmakers, and neighbors — working together to address the root causes of hunger and ensure everyone has access to the food they need to live healthy, full lives. 

At Webster-Eddy Pantry, Neighbors Feed Neighbors

September 18, 2025

Katie, who leads the Webster-Eddy Pantry, on opening day

On the Webster-Eddy food pantry’s opening morning, Japantown was cool and foggy, typical for San Francisco summer. Neighbors lined up along the chain link fence, eager to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables within walking distance of their homes. San Francisco-Marin Food Bank volunteers buzzed with first-day jitters, but operations ran smoothly under lead volunteer Katie’s steady hand. 

She kept her cool through the bustle, checking in with Food Bank staff to confirm registration was ready and guiding volunteers on where unboxed produce should go. Katie even found time to set up a hand-lettered sign with the pantry’s name, a small touch that made the site feel welcoming from the start. 

Her commitment to helping her community started long before that morning.  

As a child, Katie’s mom encouraged her and her siblings to volunteer at their hometown food bank, planting the seed for a lifelong passion for giving back. About five years after moving to San Francisco, she felt compelled to spring into action again during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Food Bank launched Pop-Up Pantries across the city in response to surging need. 

Those early days, she remembers, were hectic but vital for her neighbors. “It was busy, but it was really great,” Katie says. “A lot of people were getting access to food who hadn’t had it before.” 

When Katie learned that Pop-Up Pantries would be closing due to funding cuts, she and her fellow volunteers worried about where their neighbors would turn for food. Instead of walking away, they decided to act. 

“We were disappointed and just asked, ‘Hey, what would it take to keep this going?’” she recalls. 

With the Food Bank’s guidance and a church partner providing space, Katie helped lead the effort to create a permanent food pantry. 

“Food is a basic need,” she says. “Everyone should have access to food. It’s important to me to be able to support that.” 

While she’s grateful to be able to meet the urgent need she sees now, she’s also thinking about the future: Congress voted to slash $186 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over the next decade, and the weight of those cuts is already being felt. 

“I think the one that’s really tough for me to understand is cutting food access,” Katie says. “Most people, if you talk to them, would say they support people having access to food. The thing that’s unfortunate is seeing politics hamper that. A lot of people don’t understand that cutting dollars to food banks means people will not be eating. This isn’t just stuff happening in Washington, D.C. These are decisions affecting my town, my city, my block, my neighbors.” 

Despite her frustration, Katie remains hopeful. She believes her neighbors want to help, and that once they move past the fear of committing to something, they’ll feel proud of their impact. She also sees group volunteer opportunities, like those at the Food Bank, as a way to ease the pressure. 

“If you know you won’t be alone, it’s a lot less scary,” she says. “And what’s the worst that can happen? Even if it doesn’t go perfectly, you’ve still helped more people than if you did nothing.” 

 That belief is one of the many reasons Katie keeps showing up without fail.  

“Honestly, it’s been a huge help for my mental health to feel like I am part of something,” she says. “And the Food Bank’s support has made it all possible. I’m running this site, but I couldn’t do it without them. They’re the ones making sure the food is here every week.” 

“We have a voice, and I didn’t realize that.” Celebrating the First Food PAC Cohort

August 12, 2025

Amid the backdrop of the largest cut to food assistance in our nation’s history, Food Bank staff, Food Policy and Advocacy Coalition (Food PAC) members, and their loved ones came together on July 11 to celebrate the graduation of our inaugural Food PAC cohort. 

“This has been a transformative chapter,” said Policy & Advocacy Manager Alex Raffanti. “You are not just the first cohort. You are the standard, the example, and the beginning of something very, very powerful.” 

Over 18 months, Food PAC members sharpened their skills in advocacy and public speaking, and learned the ins and outs of policymaking. Drawing on their lived experience of hunger, members helped shape the questions in our Policy Survey, which directly informed the Food Bank’s 2025 Policy Agenda. This hard work culminated in a trip to Sacramento for California Hunger Action Day, where they met with legislators to advocate for policies on behalf of their neighbors. 

“When we went to Sacramento, that was such an eye-opener for me,” said Glen, a Food PAC graduate. “To actually go and speak before a representative and push for something that everybody is going to benefit from, that’s outstanding. We have a voice, and I didn’t realize that… Those people listen. They are paying attention. And I think the more we put effort into that, the more is going to come out of it.” 

Sizi, another graduate, emphasized the importance of creating space for people who have experienced hunger to be involved in policy decisions. 

“I’m super grateful for the opportunity to have a seat at the table,” she said. “Sometimes it’s tough for community members to really engage in advocacy work because of the situations we’re living through. That’s due to the systems that are in place, unfortunately. But as we engage more, I think that’s where we find the strength to really persevere.” 

Sizi also shared powerful reminder of why food banks matter, why the Food PAC’s work matters, and who this is for.  

“That’s where we get our food,” she said. “That’s where my grandma gets her food. My aunts, my cousins. So, thank you to the Food Bank for partnering with organizations that are providing healthy fruits and vegetables for our kids and for our seniors.” 

Greer spoke about how the Food PAC helped her find a sense of purpose and connection. 

“Joining the Food PAC has made such a difference in my life,” she said. “To build this community and be able to tell my story has just been life-changing for me.” 

She added, “I have enjoyed every mile that it’s taken to drive out here. And meeting everyone and developing relationships with people has just been great.” 

Before handing out certificates, Assemblymember Damon Connolly, who represents District 12 in Marin, encouraged the graduates to keep going. 

“As someone who serves in Sacramento on your behalf, I can tell you that real change happens when members of the public show up, by calling, emailing, attending committee hearings, and meeting with legislators.,” he said. “Sharing your perspectives helps us make the case not just here in the Bay Area, but across the state.” 

We’re so proud of this cohort and excited to see how they continue to lead and inspire. 

 

 

We’re currently accepting applicants for the next cohort! 

If you’re passionate about making a difference (especially if you’ve experienced food insecurity), apply now! You’ll learn advocacy skills and contribute to policy change – no prior experience needed. We require a 12-month commitment, with about 5 hours of work per month. You’ll need to speak English (reading and writing can be developed) and will be compensated $100/month. 

Apply now 

San Francisco-Marin Food Bank Statement on the Passing of the Big Beautiful Bill Act

July 3, 2025

SNAP is a proven, effective program that reduces hunger and poverty, and sparks local economic development.  The passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” guts SNAP and reverses decades of progress to address hunger in the US.  

This outcome is truly anguishing. Hunger is a policy choice, and there is no justification for the widespread pain that will be inflicted on millions of families with children and seniors who will struggle to put food on their tables as a result of these cruel choices guided by the politics of avarice.  

Food is a human right, and we remain committed to providing healthy food to our community and advocating policies that align with our mission — eliminating hunger and its root causes. Our Food Bank is collaborating with Feeding America, the California Association of Food Banks, and local, state, and federal leaders to monitor developments on other food security programs related to the farm bill and federal commodities funding. We will continue to advocate for the protection of critical food security programs and work to address these consequences. 

While this is a truly disappointing day, we are grateful for the ongoing support from those in our community who raised their voices to oppose these regressive measures. We are resilient and unapologetic in ensuring people have access to healthy food. We will never back away from our mission to end hunger and pursue our vision where everyone has access to nutritious food of their choosing and is uplifted by a network of support.    

 

In solidarity,  

Tanis Crosby, Executive Director