Most of us try to limit our trips to the grocery store – trying to make it in and out as quickly as possible to protect everyone’s health. But when we venture out, it’s hard to miss the shortages and increased prices – it can seem like the bill keeps going up even as we can never get everything on the list.

At the Food Bank, we’re feeling it too, as Barbara Abbott, Vice President of Supply Chain can tell you. “The pandemic has been like a giant wrecking ball through our food supply chain.”

Barbara is something of an air traffic controller here at the Food Bank, overseeing the sourcing and moving of food from the growers and packers to our warehouse before it heads out to the community.

Grocery Prices Spike

“The general public has seen many of the same things we have at the Food Bank – like a spike in the price of eggs – a whopping 16%. There has been a shortage of meat. And the cost for pre-packaged rice, beans, and other pantry staples has gone up, and grocery shelves are often bare as folks stock up.”

According to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we’ve had the largest one-month price spike for food in nearly fifty years. Overall, food prices climbed an average of 2.6%, the highest increase since February 1974. Two-point-six percent might not seem like a lot, but when your family is stretching the dollar to put food on the table, every penny is accounted for.

Decreased in Supply & Increased Demand

To make matters worse, the Food Bank has moved away from buying grain and other items in bulk. Since the virus is airborne, we simply can’t have staff and volunteers working side-by-side in small sorting rooms. This means not only are we spending more on pre-packed goods, but we are now competing with grocery stores and everyday consumers for family-sized portions of many staples.

These operational challenges have collided with a huge spike in the need we are seeing in our community – we are now serving 62,000 households each week, up from 32,000 pre-pandemic.

“We’ve had to re-engineer our operations in so many ways,” Barbara said. “But the biggest change is that we’re serving nearly double the number of families with so many of our neighbors out of work.”

To meet the need, we not only need more food, but we must find additional storage space, hire more warehouse staff, procure more trucks, and hire more drivers.

As Barbara explained, “the increased need plus higher food prices is really the perfect storm to create shortages.”

However, thanks to the outpouring of generosity from donors, the Food Bank has been able to rise to the challenge. We are ensuring every family receives fresh produce, healthy grains and beans, and high-quality protein.

“We can’t predict when this pandemic will end,” Barbara reflected. “Right now, we are sprinting–but we know this crisis will be a marathon. We are counting on our supporters to make sure the Food Bank can respond to our community’s needs.”

Ten days ago, we thought that healing from the Coronavirus pandemic was the paramount issue and job at hand – maybe of our time. Today we know that we have even greater and far-reaching healing to do around issues of justice and race that will not wait for a vaccine or a cure and must have our attention now.  These times call for all of us to be focused on the work of challenging injustice and championing humanity.

We believe that having enough food to eat is a basic and foundational building block in the pyramid of justice, and we strive to bring nutritious food to everyone.

Income inequality

And there is another curve that must be flattened and then reversed – the 50-year march upward of the curve that measures income inequality. People of color are over-represented on the low end of the curve and experience the brunt of inequality daily. All of our institutions must be examined to root out ingrained policies and practices that keep people of color from succeeding. And the sharp edges of capitalism must be softened with policies that ensure fairness, access, and opportunity.

#FoodForAll

Please know that the Food Bank remains committed to getting food to those who need it. As long as it is safe for our staff, volunteers, and participants, our pantries will remain open to all.

Thank you for joining with us to fight to end hunger, and with it the fight for greater equity and justice in our communities.

With Gratitude,
Paul Ash
Executive Director

All of our institutions must be examined to root out ingrained policies and practices that keep people of color from succeeding. And the sharp edges of capitalism must be softened with policies that ensure fairness, access, and opportunity.

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Food Bank delivers food to 11K seniors 

Elisabeth Fall is a freelance photographer who regularly shoots for the Food Bank. Since the pandemic, she’s lost most of her business. But that hasn’t deterred her from helping others. 

Twice a week, she loads up her car with 15 bags of groceries and delivers them to seniors as part of our brand-new Pantry at Home program. It’s a temporary service making sure that the Food Bank’s participants who are over 65 years old get food during this crisis. 

“It’s sobering to think how long this crisis will go on,” said Elisabeth. “But I’m spending my new free time doing something I’ve wanted to do for years: volunteer for the Food Bank.” 

“One thing that I love about delivering groceries is that I feel like I have a purpose, and it deflects energy away from my own underemployment to think about the people around me. It’s such a gift.” 

A fleet of volunteers and partners 

With the help of volunteers and partners – including, OnFleet, Amazon, Cruise, Uber Eats, and DoorDash – we’ve been able to completely shift our distribution model almost overnight. Now our most vulnerable participants can still receive groceries while they are protecting their health by sheltering in place.  

Each and every day a tireless group of volunteers and county disaster service workers pack 1,200-1,500 bags of groceries under a giant tent in our warehouse parking lot. The tent has become an extension of our warehouse – giving volunteers the space they need to social distance, while still packing up fruits and vegetables, protein, grain and other nonperishables.  

As the bags are being packed, drives from our fleet of volunteers and partners arrive continuously throughout the day. They back up to our curb on Pennsylvania Ave., check in with a curbside volunteer or staffer and start loading up their cars with 15-20 bags or boxes packed and ready for delivery throughout San Francisco. 

A thank you smile  

When Elisabeth makes her rounds throughout the city, she is often joined by her daughter. Together, they knock on doors, put the groceries down, and stand back six feet. 

“We are always met with smiles when folks open their doors, and they are always so appreciative – which is a bonus. It’s nice to have contact with people, even for a minute from six feet away with masks on,” said Elisabeth. 

“When the chips are down – and these are tough times for so many – volunteering is eight hours of my week helping people connect to food, and food is love. So, it’s a good feeling.” 

We all hope that the crisis will pass soon, and that active seniors can go back to visiting their regular neighborhood pantries. But until then, the Food Bank’s temporary Pantry at Home program will be here for our seniors.  

If you are interested in volunteering, sign up here. 

One thing that I love about delivering groceries is that I feel like I have a purpose, and it deflects energy away from my own underemployment to think about the people around me. It’s such a gift.” 

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We are all coping and adapting to the new realities of the global COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our lives. We are learning to balance uncertainty and social isolation along with the increasingly challenging practical realities of everyday life 

At the Food Bank, we have always known that it takes a strong fabric of community to address hunger in the Bay Area. And as ripple effects of COVID-19 are felt, we have been especially inspired by all the ways – great and small – that our community is coming together to support each other. 

Volunteers Stepping Up

Week in and week out we see countless individual volunteers and partners come out to haul and pack 30-pound bags of potatoes, oranges, onions, and other groceries. Many, like Nate Fahey, who came to Bessie Carmichael Elementary School with his church last week, just want to help the community during these difficult times. “Right now, there is a little extra emphasis on giving back when we can,” said Fahey.  

“An hour or two of your life could really help anyone in need right now,” he went on to say. “It doesn’t take much for us to help others.”  

Not just individuals are stepping up. We’ve received an outpouring of support from partners and community groups – even county workers from the library system – to fill the gaps. They are driving trucks, packing boxes, and delivering groceries to the homebound. Many of these groups, like United Playaz and West Bay, are stepping up without being asked.  

Working Together in Solidarity 

After hearing about a need to reach more homebound seniors in their community, United Playaz decided to work with the food bank to deliver food. “We provide the muscle, the leg power, and the energy. And we go out and do it,” said Randy Corpuz Jr., Executive director of United Playaz. 

These volunteers pick up groceries, pack up their cars, walk stairs and knock on doors to make contactless deliveries every week. 

It’s hard work. And still, they do it. 

“During this crisis, these are the times that you have to stand for something that is greater than you,” said Corpuz. “What a greater way than to work with the food bank who provides those services.” 

The Food Bank extends a big, heartfelt thank you to all the partners and volunteers who are standing arm in arm with us on the front lines of this pandemic. We couldn’t do it without you! 

Partner Spotlight 

In honor of the volunteer appreciation month, we will be celebrating and spotlighting our amazing community partners and volunteers throughout the month of April. Each week, we will publish one Partner Spotlight, and we will be sharing more from our wonderful volunteers and partners on social media throughout the month. Check back soon! 

In the meantime, if you want to help please sign up to volunteer here. 

An hour or two of your life could really help anyone in need right now. It doesn't take much for us to help others."  

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You can help

Please support our work to open pop-up pantries across San Francisco and Marin.

Donate Now

Right now at our pantries you will get apples as part of the weekly distribution! Red and green – all the colors. They are packed with vitamin C to boost our immune system, and a lot of fiber to keep us feeling full. Eating enough fiber has been shown to keep our hearts healthy too.

So with all this loveliness going out from our pantries, we asked our Nutrition Education team to help us with a couple of apple-based recipes that are easy and fast.

Apple Slaw

Dairy-free | Gluten-free | Low added Sugar | Vegetarian

Serves 4

You’ll need:

• 2 1/2 apples
• 1 lemon
• 2 cups Green cabbage
• 1 Celery stalk
• 1/2 cup Red bell pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Sugar
• 1/4 cup Low-fat mayonnaise

Do like this:

• Peel and core apples
• Dice apples and place in a large bowl
• Squeeze lemon juice over apples to help keep them from darkening
• Thinly slice cabbage to form thin strips
• Dice celery and bell pepper
• Add cabbage, celery, and bell peppers to apples
• In a small container, mix mayonnaise ad sugar, add to salad
• Mix
• Enjoy!

Microwave Fruit Crisp

Dairy-free | Gluten-free | Low added Sugar | Vegan | Vegetarian

Serves 2

You’ll need:

• 2 cups Diced and sliced fruit
• 2 tablespoons Soft butter or vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons Brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons Rolled Oates
• 2 tablespoons Whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons Walnuts, pecans, or almonds

Do like this:

• Place fruit in a microwave­ safe dish. Use a dish that is wide enough so that the fruit is about 1 inch deep in the bottom
• In a separate bowl, mix together butter/oil, oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nuts
• Sprinkle the mixture over the fruit
• Microwave on high 1-5 minutes or until fruit is as tender as you like it. Don’t have a microwave? You can also cook this dish in a regular oven: Bake at 375° F for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown
• Enjoy!

You’ll find more recipes and healthy food inspiration on our partner EatFresh’s website

Terry Hardie is a retiree, living with his wife in Boulder Colorado, so it was a little strange spotting him so far from home, bagging rice in our San Francisco warehouse.  Even more strange, perhaps, is that his involvement at the Food Bank was courtesy of a well-known cruise ship line.

For the past 2 years, Crystal Cruises has been developing a program that encourages passengers, like Terry, to not only enjoy each port-of-call in leisure, but to also do something special to give back to the local communities in some way.

Marco Estrada, Shore Excursion Manager with Crystal explains, “We call it ‘You Care, We Care.’ Our off-shore itinerary now includes options to visit specially-selected nonprofits, where passengers can volunteer.  So far, it’s been very well-received, with hundreds of visits logged in places like San Francisco, Columbia, and Thailand.”

Terry says he regularly volunteers at home, so doing so while he vacations is very natural.  “I’m one of those people who can’t sit still for very long. I like to be active and productive in my daily life, so when I learned about this opportunity while vacationing with my wife, I decided to make a go of it and come out here today to help feed less fortunate people living in San Francisco.”

Over the past two years, the Food Bank has seen several groups from Crystal Cruises stop by the warehouse and give a few hours of their time.

“When you’re pushing out millions of pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables every year, every set of hands counts,” says Food Bank Community Engagement Manager Cody Jang. “We applaud Crystal Cruises for partnering with us.  We certainly get something out of the deal, but we also hope passengers come away with a better understanding that hunger exists everywhere – including a beautiful tourist destination like San Francisco.”

Estrada says as far as they know, Crystal is one of the only cruise ship lines that has ventured in this direction, but he thinks ‘volun-tour-ism’ will only grow as more people with the means to travel continue to recognize the power of altruism.

Click here for more information on the “We Care You Care” program.

Imagine if you were asked to choose between putting food on your family’s table today or receiving a green card to secure a future in the U.S.  What would you do? 

That the choice facing thousands of our immigrant neighbors – including Food Bank participants because of proposed changes to federal “public charge” rules which could penalize people seeking residency or citizenship for accepting CalFresh (food stamps).

Our Food Bank is working alongside a broad coalition of advocates, community organizations, and elected officials, to coordinate an incredible outpouring of comments and concerns.

Before proposed “public charge” rules are finalized, the government must review and respond to every unique public comment about the proposed regulation. To date, 116,000 comments have been submitted by concerned and engaged people just like you.

What Is “Public Charge”?

The “public charge” test is designed to identify people who rely on the government as their main source of support. It’s used to deny  lawful permanent residence or “green card” status. On October 10, the Department of Homeland Security proposed changes to exclude anyone who is likely to use certain health care, nutrition (including SNAP/CalFresh) or housing programs in the future. The proposed test adds specific standards for income, health, age, family size, assets, and English proficiency, and expands the forms of public assistance that are counted in a “public charge” determination.

Fig. 1 Changes in Public Benefits included in Public Charge Rule[1]

Public Charge Fear Fuels Hunger

An estimated 20,000-44,000 people in the Bay Area may forgo CalFresh (food stamps) benefits because of the proposed changes, according to recent research from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. That’s equal to a loss of benefits of between $32 and $74 million right here in our communities.  We know firsthand that this “chilling effect” is preventing immigrants from enrolling in CalFresh and even from attending our weekly food pantries out of fear.

[1] Ponce, Ninez, et al. “How Proposed Changes to the ‘Public Charge’ Rule Will Affect Health, Hunger and the Economy in California.” The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, 7 Nov. 2018, healthpolicy.ucla.edu/newsroom/Documents/2018/public-charge-seminar-slides-nov2018.pdf.