Category: Stories

When Pantries Closed, Presbyterian Church in Chinatown Opened Its Doors

December 3, 2025

Alma loves to cook for her husband, her daughters, and her neighbors. Sisig sizzling in the pan. Chicken congee, fragrant with fried garlic and spring onion. Tilapia steamed with tomatoes and garlic. 

“Sometimes I share with the manager of my apartment,” she laughs. “He said he likes [my cooking].” 

These days, making those meals takes more than culinary skills. It takes support. 

Alma retired to care for her husband, who’s on dialysis. Living on a limited income, she depends on the food pantry at Presbyterian Church in Chinatown (PCC), part of the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank’s Neighborhood Food Network, for the nutritious food her husband needs to stay healthy.  

“This pantry is a very big help,” she says. “Food is so expensive now.” 

Alma is one of what will eventually be 350 neighbors served by this pantry at PCC. Her story shows exactly why opening it mattered so much, at a moment when hunger was deepening and help was disappearing.  

Neighbors Refuse to Let Neighbors Go Hungry 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Food Bank launched Pop-Up Pantries across San Francisco and Marin in response to surging food insecurity. Alma went to the Stonestown Pop-Up during this time, grateful for a reliable food source while she was working but still struggling to make ends meet. 

But due to funding cuts, all Pop-Up Pantries closed last summer. Alma didn’t have anywhere to go. Volunteers lost their connection to community. Thousands of people in San Francisco and Marin lost their regular source of food. 

The Food Bank worked to expand capacity across its partner network and transfer as many participants as possible to neighborhood food pantries.  

Susie Wong, volunteer pantry supervisor, was already running two PCC food pantries: a Saturday senior pantry and a Thursday distribution at Cameron House. So, when Lesley Kraechan, an energetic, cheerful Lions Club volunteer from the North Beach Pop-Up, approached Susie about opening a third pantry, she thought they’d be stretched too thin. Then she realized the Pop-Up Pantry volunteers were eager to help.  

“These North Beach and Bessie Carmichael volunteers still wanted to work,” Susie recalled. “[Lesley and I] had like 50 people sign up, saying, ‘Please let me, I wanna help.'” 

Together, these volunteers opened the pantry less than two months after the Pop-Ups closed. Alma came to PCC to ask if she could get on the waitlist. Now, she’s grateful to pick up groceries even closer to home. 

Roots in the Community 

Susie has deep connections to Chinatown, which is why she still volunteers here despite living in the East Bay. She worked at Chinatown Community Development Center for 19 years building affordable housing. “I saw that these folks really lived with very little income,” she recalls. “A lot of them worked in the United States for decades, but they never got their Social Security because of under the table pay. They’re hardworking, but they’re struggling.” 

Like Susie, Lesley’s commitment to the pantry is rooted in her work serving the community. A physical therapist and member of PCC, Lesley started volunteering with the Food Bank during the pandemic. She works with women survivors of violence with chronic conditions and sees firsthand how poor nutrition contributes to their pain and illness. Leslie says she’s grateful that she can support the Food Bank’s mission to provide the fresh fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious food that can improve health and wellness. “If we can get healthy food to people, we can have a society of people that are healthier, happier, better,” she says. 

Nothing Goes to Waste 

With her fresh produce in hand from the pantry, Alma is already thinking about what she’ll cook next.  

“With what I get here, I can keep cooking for my family and not worry about wasting anything,” she says. 

For Alma, cooking is how she shows she cares. And with volunteers like Susie and Lesley stepping up alongside the Food Bank, this pantry ensures she’ll have the fresh, healthy food she needs to keep cooking for her family. For Alma, that’s where joy is: in the cooking, and in sharing what she makes. 

Holly Finds Food, Dignity, and Joy at the Community Market

November 24, 2025

A Bright Start 

Sunlight streams through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Western Addition Community Market. The space is modern and welcoming, with the cheerful energy of a neighborhood bodega — energy matched by Holly. We met her as she moved excitedly through the aisles of produce and groceries, planning out what she would take home. 

“Some greens, applesauce, potatoes, carrots, eggs. Oh my god — peaches, nectarines, grapes,” she exclaims. “It is really a blessing to come here.” 

A New Way to Shop 

For six years, Holly has relied on Neighborhood Food Pantries for fresh produce each week, helping her avoid hard choices between paying bills or going hungry. When the Western Addition Community Market opened in July, it offered her a new way to shop. Now, Holly decides exactly what she takes home, how much, and when she picks it up. 

“It’s like shopping through Safeway,” she says, calling it “top-of-the-line food.” 

 Community Markets are open multiple days each week with flexible hours, making it easier for people to shop when it works for them.  

That flexibility matters to Holly, who is currently out of work and managing the ups and downs of her mental health. 

“You go in and everything is organized,” she says. “I’ve been to a lot of pantries, but this pantry here is the best. You walk through here and you pick what you want. You don’t just have to take it.” 

Simple Joys, Real Respect 

At the Western Addition Community Market, Holly savors the small, human moments of grocery shopping that many take for granted: tapping on watermelons and smelling ripe produce. 

“It makes me feel good,” she says. “You smell it and you know it’s fresh. It makes me feel good to be able to touch what I get.” 

For Holly, those simple acts restore dignity and a sense of normalcy for her in a period marked by unemployment and financial strain. The market helps ease her fears of hunger, giving her confidence that she can put meals on the table. Just as importantly, she values the respect she feels every time she comes to shop. 

“Even though I’m at my lowest right now, I feel like I have something,” Holly says. “They’re treating me with respect. Even though I’m not working, I feel respected. It’s dignity.”

Staff Profile: Megan on Finding Meaning in Connection

October 28, 2025

Even when you’re mission-driven, it can take a few turns to find someplace where your work truly reflects your values and you can see its impact every day. 

For Megan Coleman, that place is the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. Her connection to the organization goes back to sixth grade. 

Megan grew up in the East Bay, where helping neighbors was part of everyday life. Through a group called the National Charity League, she volunteered with local nonprofits, including the Food Bank.  

“It was my first glimpse of how food brings people together,” she recalled. “Even at that age, I could see that food wasn’t just about surviving. It helped people connect, feel cared for, and belong.” 

After earning a law degree and spending several years working in corporate compliance, Megan realized she wanted to be closer to the kind of impact that had always motivated her. She joined the Food Bank in 2021 and quickly found her fit. 

As Senior Annual Fund Coordinator, she’s often the first person donors hear from when they call or write in. She helps process gifts, answer questions, and makes sure every supporter feels appreciated.  

“It’s meaningful to connect directly with people who care so deeply about ending hunger,” she said. 

Megan sees her role as a bridge between those who give and those who receive support. “Almost every interaction with donors is so positive,” she said. “They’re thoughtful and kind. Some give in honor of a loved one or because their grandchild volunteers with us. Those stories remind me why we do this.” 

She’s especially inspired by the way the Food Bank tackles hunger from every angle, from providing fresh groceries to advocating for long-term change. 

 “Food is more than fuel. It’s tied to health, dignity, and opportunity,” she said. “I love that our work looks at the whole picture, not just today’s needs but the future we’re trying to build.” 

For Megan, it all comes down to connection. “Every call and every conversation adds up to something bigger,” she said. “We’re not just feeding people. We’re building a community where everyone has enough.” 

Older Truck Benefits the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank

October 23, 2025

When Jeni decided to donate her late husband’s red Ford Ranger to the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, it wasn’t just about parting with a vehicle. It was about honoring his life in the community he cared about. 

“Shel grew up in Marin and loved the outdoors,” Jeni said. “Every summer he and his dad would head to the mountains to backpack into high-country lakes to fish. One of the best parts was packing his dad’s old truck with gear and heading out into an adventure.” 

After owning several other vehicles along the way, in 2000, Shel, then living in San Francisco, bought himself a new truck — a bright red Ford Ranger XLT he named El Trucko. From then on, the two went everywhere together: work trips, road trips throughout California, including to the Sierra for hiking, fishing, and photography adventures. 

In May 2024, Shel passed away, leaving his well-traveled (and well-loved) truck behind, having logged more than 143,000 miles together. Last fall, Jeni drove Shel and the truck to the Eastern Sierra for one last trip. When she returned, she parked El Trucko in the garage, wondering what to do with it that would honor Shel’s memory. 

She searched for environmental and conservation groups whose values aligned with Shel’s, but the donation process often seemed difficult to use. To make things easier, Jeni decided the gift should benefit a San Francisco organization they both admired. 

“The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank came to mind,” she said. “We always tried to support the mail carrier’s food drive every May and donate whenever we saw barrels at local businesses or churches. It seemed impossible that in such a wealthy city, people were going hungry.” 

Through the Food Bank’s website, Jeni found that donating a vehicle was straight forward and easy. After submitting the required information, she received a confirmation and soon after, a pickup date and time. A few weeks later, she learned that Shel’s truck had sold and that the proceeds were already helping provide fresh groceries for neighbors facing hunger. 

Vehicle donations help the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank turn unused cars, trucks, and other vehicles into funding for fresh, healthy food. Each donated vehicle is sold at auction, and the proceeds support programs across San Francisco and Marin — from neighborhood pantries to Community Markets. It’s an easy way for supporters to make a lasting difference.  

“For me, seeing El Trucko go on to help our neighbors feels like the right ending to this chapter of Shel’s story,” Jeni said. “I am delighted that even a 25-year-old truck can make a difference. That feels like something Shel would be proud of.” 

Donating your vehicle will help the Food Bank provide healthy groceries for neighbors in need.  Learn more.

Finding Nourishment and Community at El Colibrí Community Market

October 17, 2025

For Veronica, finding help has often meant navigating a maze of complicated systems without much support to guide her through.

When her daughter was diagnosed with cancer in 2021, those challenges deepened. After her daughter’s remission in 2023, the family left the hospital without work or housing. Soon after, Veronica was diagnosed with breast cancer. The gaps in the safety net became even clearer when even putting food on the table was no longer certain.

“I tried applying for CalFresh and was told my household income was too high, even though my husband is underemployed and I’m unemployed,” she said.

With so many needs and so few options, it was hard to know where to turn.

But then Veronica and her family got connected to the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank’s pantry at La Raza Community Resource Center, now known as Mercado El Colibrí. It became a steady source of stability for her family, a place where they could count on fresh groceries and friendly faces during difficult times.

“My daughter loves fruit — we almost always get lots of fruits and vegetables,” she said. “With the food I get from El Colibrí, I make her pan con pollo, a traditional dish from El Salvador.”

El Colibrí is one of the Food Bank’s new Community Markets, created with trusted partners like La Raza to make access to nutritious food easier and more dignified ,and facilitate connections to vital social services. This partnership helps ensure families like Veronica’s can find healthy food and a welcoming space whenever they need it most.

“I like being here,” she said. “It helps me socialize, make friends, and relax.”

Where Food and Connection Meet

Community Markets are reimagining what it means to access food with dignity. These welcoming, grocery store–style spaces make it easier for people to get the food they want and need, when it works for them. Open multiple days each week with flexible hours, each market offers fresh produce, groceries, and culturally relevant foods. Importantly, these community-centered environments couple access to healthy food with direct connections and referrals to vital immigration and social services. 

Lucia Ruiz, Senior Program Manager at the Food Bank, said Community Markets mark an important shift in how the Food Bank approaches ending hunger. “The model is more flexible and participant-centered,” she said. “It provides dignity and convenience by offering food alongside service navigation and referrals. When we talk about addressing the root causes of hunger, we have to think about how to lift people out of poverty. Combining food access with supportive resources helps make that possible.”

Eight Community Markets are planned to open over the next year, some operated by the Food Bank and the majority operated directly by our community partners. The first partner-led Community Market to open is La Raza’s El Colibrí in the Mission District. To mark its official expansion to multiple days of service  — increasing its capacity to serve more families — and the market’s integration of critical services directly available for participants, La Raza held a ribbon cutting ceremony to welcome all to Mercado El Colibrí. 

“With our new community market, we plan to serve up to 1,000 families weekly to provide healthy food and help them get the vital wraparound services they need, and all in one place” said La Raza Community Resource Center Executive Director Gabriel Medina. “Once our food seekers are here, not only are they given more choice, all of our food seekers can connect to services like immigration, both affirmative and defensive, citizenship naturalization, women’s support groups, diaper bank, case management. It’s a concept our families sorely need more of.”

The event included remarks from community members and the Food Bank. “We are grateful to partner with La Raza Community Resource Center,” said Noriko Lim-Tepper, Chief Officer for Strategic Partnerships, Advocacy & Voice. “We celebrate La Raza’s Mercado El Colibrí as not only a resource providing access to healthy food but a center for vital services for our community.”

Essential to the vital resources available at Mercado El Colibrí is the concept of community, which is a foundation for Veronica. What began as a source of help during an especially dark time has become a place of belonging and where she now volunteers every week, welcoming others with the same warmth she found there.

“When you are treated with respect, you feel welcomed,” she said. “Everyone deserves that.”

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. 

What a Monthly Food Box Means for Two Friends in the Tenderloin

September 29, 2025

Groceries or Medicine? 

For many seniors on fixed incomes, every month is weighed down by tough decisions: pay for groceries or fill a prescription; cover rent or keep the lights on? 

And, for the older adults living in the Tenderloin, there are additional hurdles to accessing — and even preparing — healthy food. Not only are there no full-service grocery stores in the entire neighborhood, many live in single-room occupancies without kitchens. 

That’s why the Food Bank’s Supplemental Food Program (SFP) is a lifeline for hundreds of neighbors in the area. The program provides monthly boxes of staples like rice, pasta, and canned goods, giving people 60 and older a reliable source of food to help make their limited budgets last. 

A Lifeline for Seniors 

Every month, neighbors like Ms. Mui and Ms. Luo bring their rolling carts to the SFP distribution site on the Golden Gate Greenway, a block of Golden Gate Avenue that St. Anthony Foundation transformed into a pedestrian space, to pick up the groceries that help carry them through the weeks to come. 

“We depend on SFP,” said Ms. Mui. “As seniors, we don’t make money, and receiving these food boxes helps a lot. Losing access to programs like this would be concerning.” 

Ms. Luo agreed, adding how she has to stretch her income further than ever before. 

“I only get $50 a month from CalFresh now,” said Ms. Luo. “I’m forced to be very conservative with how I spend. It does mean eating less. Retirement funds don’t go very far after rent is paid, so help with groceries makes a big difference.” 

A New Home on the Greenway 

The two friends have been receiving SFP boxes for the past three years but only began coming to the Greenway early last year. That’s when the Food Bank partnered with St. Anthony’s to open this new SFP site, launched in response to Pop-Up Pantries closing and in anticipation of more people struggling to find regular access to groceries. 

From day one, Food Bank staff saw how important this site was. 

“Our first distribution at the Greenway brought over 550 people,” said Lena Yu, SFP Program Manager for the Food Bank. “Others had stopped coming during the pandemic and were so relieved to reconnect.” 

She notes that shelf stable food, in particular, is vital for this demographic. 

“For those who aren’t cooking regularly, it’s important to have food they can count on throughout the month,” Lena said. “When you’re on a fixed income, having something in the pantry makes a big difference.”  

Powered by Partnership 

Partnership is what makes the Greenway distribution possible. The Food Bank provides the groceries, while St. Anthony’s provides the space, lush and welcoming with trees, benches, and parklets. In the Tenderloin, where there are only 9.1 acres of green space, among the lowest in the city, the Greenway gives neighbors a rare chance to enjoy greenery and community in the middle of San Francisco. 

Veronica Surrette-Fahey, Marketing Communications Manager at St. Anthony Foundation, explained, “We saw the Greenway as an opportunity to bring greenery to the Tenderloin. Many of our senior neighbors are living alone in single-room occupancies. They come to the Greenway for that sense of community.” 

 That collaborative and visionary spirit is why the Food Bank partnered with St. Anthony’s to bring this SFP site to the Greenway. 

“The partnership with St. Anthony’s has been amazing,” said Lena Yu, SFP Program Manager. “It’s such a marginalized community, and many people don’t realize how many seniors live here. For anyone on a fixed income, this program is so important.” 

Fresh Start, Fresh Food: John’s Story

September 22, 2025

Earlier this year, John moved from Kenya to San Francisco to be closer to his daughter and her two children after his wife passed away. John now lives in the bustling Western Addition neighborhood, navigating a new country, a new community, and a new way of life. 

One of the first ways he made himself at home was through classes at the Buchanan YMCA, including Tai Chi (which he’s very fond of), and other programs specifically for seniors in the area. Through these classes, he learned about the soon-to-open Western Addition Family Resource Center food pantry, a collaboration of the Buchanan YMCA, Urban Services YMCA, and the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. 

With no income of his own and the high cost of living in San Francisco, John was looking for ways to ease the pressure on his family’s budget. Visiting the pantry for the first time in January was, as he put it, eye-opening. Each week since, he’s brought home fresh vegetables, tofu, cheese, and other staples that his daughter prepares into meals for the household. “The bills, the cost of living — it goes down.” he says. 

The timing couldn’t be more critical. Since the pantry opened in late January, the neighborhood’s only grocery store has closed, reducing nearby options for fresh, healthy food. This is especially hard on seniors like John, who face challenges traveling long distances. 

To help meet that need, YMCA and the Food Bank created a pantry that not only provides nutritious food but reflects the diverse cultural traditions of the community. That commitment to culturally relevant food makes a difference for families like John’s. 

 Whether facing mobility challenges, high costs, or simply not knowing where to turn, neighbors now have a welcoming place to find the food they need and connect with others. For John, it means fresh vegetables and pantry staples that his daughter can cook into meals, and the chance to stay active and connected through YMCA classes as he settles into a new chapter of life. 

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.” 

At Bolinas Inc., Everyone is Welcome

September 9, 2025

When people think about seaside towns in Marin County, they often conjure up visions of luxury. But nestled just below the Point Reyes National Seashore is the tight-knit town of Bolinas, where the reality is quite different. 

“People think that Marin is very wealthy, and certainly there are really wealthy parts of Marin,” says Kathleen O’Neill, the lead volunteer coordinator for the Bolinas Community Inc. food pantry. “But Bolinas has a lot of elderly residents and a lot of poor people. Our town is considered a poverty town.” 

Bolinas is home to older adults living on fixed incomes, working-class families juggling high costs, and longtime residents navigating impossible choices between food, rent, and other necessities. The poverty rate here is 12.76 percent — higher than the 11 percent national average. So, in a town of just 1,200 people, that means everyone knows someone who’s food insecure. And that means many of the same people who volunteer — and even work — at the Bolinas Community Inc. food pantry also rely on it themselves. Kathleen is one of them. 

“Feeding people is important,” she says. “I think the world is better when people are fed. And I needed food myself. I’m retired and living on Social Security, so having this [pantry] makes a huge, huge difference.” 

The steady supply of food is what makes the 13-year partnership between the Bolinas Community Inc. food pantry and the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank essential. More than 200 people come through the pantry each Thursday, relying on the shelf-stable staples and fresh produce. And for many, the chance to connect is just as much of a lifeline. 

“All the elders line up together,” says Kate Ryan Ross, general manager of the Bolinas Community Center, where the pantry is hosted. “It’s their [time] once a week they get to talk. It’s like sitting around in a coffee shop, but it’s the food bank every week.” 

Randi Arnold, executive director of the Bolinas Community Center, says the partnership with the Food Bank changed everything. Before, volunteers collected whatever extra food they could find from local stores, and that was the extent of what they could offer. 

“When this partnership began, we were astounded,” Randi says. “We get anywhere from 4,000 to 8,000 pounds of food [each month].” 

Thanks to the Food Bank’s support, the pantry stocks fresh produce, culturally meaningful foods and shelf-stable staples that help families stay nourished all week. That’s no small feat in a town like Bolinas, which has just two small markets — both expensive — and no full grocery store. The nearest affordable option is at least 15 miles away, and gas to get there isn’t cheap. 

Kate says her own family has depended on the pantry since it began. “Now that my parents are both retired, they need it even more,” she says. 

Produce from the pantry was especially important for Kate during her pregnancy, when meeting prenatal health needs was critical for both her and her baby. “I could get what I needed here, and then fill in the rest at the market,” she said. 

For Alfonz, a longtime participant managing serious health conditions, the pantry is essential to his stability. “I used to go in every day to the emergency room because something went wrong every day,” he recalls. But now that he’s able to eat the healthy food he needs to manage his symptoms, his quality of life has improved. 

It means regular access to fresh, nutritious food. “Chicken, turkey, fish with omega-3s, organic fruit. Turkey’s my favorite,” he says. ‘This place is great because you can pick and choose,” he says. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t eat. Food’s so expensive.” 

And it’s only gotten harder. 

“Since COVID I see people come through our pantry now that never came before,” Randi says. “I have a lot of people that come [and say], ‘Well, no, I’d rather have people who need it.’ And I tell them, everybody needs to eat.” 

That sense of welcome is intentional. 

“Randi and Kathleen have their finger on the pulse and go above and beyond to make sure participants not only receive service with dignity, but they also feel safe,” says Marisol Ramirez, the Food Bank’s neighborhood representative for West Marin. 

Marisol recounted how, when the pantry’s bilingual “All Are Welcome” sign started to fade, Randi and Kathleen were quick to ask for a new one to make sure immigrant families knew they had every right to come and get food, regardless of their documentation status. That simple request ended up prompting the Food Bank to print a whole new round of signs for partner sites across the region. 

People don’t always see the full picture of life in Marin. But Kate, who grew up in Bolinas, wants people to understand who is often left out. 

“Yes, Marin has a very high population of rich people,” she continues, “but there’s also those of us that clean those houses, do the landscaping, the childcare. We go to the same high school… but we are the ones managing those places, doing their laundry and their housekeeping.” 

Despite doing all this work, the reality is many still can’t make ends meet in Bolinas, Kate observed. “We need this extra food.” The Food Bank is proud to partner with the Bolinas Inc. pantry, helping to put nutritious food on the table so families here can thrive.