Category: Volunteers & Donors

Shelley’s Story | “So Much Love”

February 22, 2017

Shelley is a teacher at the YMCA, which recently recognized her as Employee of the Year. She is a pillar of strength in our community, and we treasure her volunteer service. You might recognize her from our ad campaign around the city.

“They call me the Bread Lady because I’m often the one distributing the loaves of bread at the Casa de Barro food pantry in San Francisco. Sometimes someone will ask for a second loaf because they have kids to feed, and it breaks my heart because I have four children of my own.

I first got involved with the Food Bank because one day I was riding the bus, and it stopped at the Casa de Barro Church. I saw a long line of people, and when I asked what was happening, someone told me they were providing free food.

I wasn’t working at the time, so I returned the following week to receive food. The way I was treated there touched my heart so much that I knew I wanted to be a part of this group. One man took my bag of food and helped me down the stairs and someone else held my hand. There was so much love.

So I asked to volunteer. Ever since then, I’ve been coming almost every Saturday for almost eight years. Through volunteering, I’ve discovered another side of myself: how compassionate and loving I can be. The food pantry allows me to reach out to others, and it feels really good to be of service.

Meeting people has always been a big part of my life, and volunteering has opened me up to whole new group of people.  At Casa de Barro, we have social gatherings and share each other’s cultures. We swap recipes, share each other’s food, and I’ve even picked up some Spanish. For me, the pantry is a loving place where I can help care for others and I get so much love and appreciation in return.”

 

 

 

Everyday Heroes at the Food Bank

January 13, 2017

Story and photographs by Marilyn Englander, Food Bank volunteer and founding head of REAL School Marin

Joe, the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank Community Engagement Coordinator, fondly calls them “The Sustainers.” He explained to me how a loyal group of volunteers faithfully shows up every week to help in the warehouse.

There is the Monday gang, and the Tuesday gang, Wednesday and Thursday groups. But many Mondays are also Tuesdays, and some come all four days. Their volunteer efforts equal the work of more than two full-time paid employees. Without them, the Food Bank could never get so much food out to the neighborhood pantries for neighbors in need.

Andy drives all the way from Vallejo, and Kevin takes a 30-minute bus ride from Mill Valley, then walks two miles on foot. Sandy always brings mouth-watering cookies to share during the morning break. They secretly plot birthday celebrations for fellow volunteers, everyone joining in to serenade as the honoree blushes. Starting out strangers, slowly they have become the backbone of the Novato operation, and also a community to each other.

I had decided to volunteer on a whim, choosing a slot open on the Food Bank website calendar. I assumed everyone did the same: once in a blue moon, we’d consider giving our time. The first day I turned up, I had no idea I was sorting, packing and stacking food alongside real experts. But I certainly admired Bryan’s skill as he rapidly assembled and taped boxes. Betty had mastered sorting slippery packages of frozen meat, and Peggy tirelessly leaned over and over again into a deep bin to retrieve heavy cans of beans. Mary had the wash-and-sanitize station under strict control. Jacky was there five days a week running the “shopping” area where small nonprofits come to choose supplies for their pantries.

The Sustainers exude enthusiasm and drive as they tackle each three-hour shift. You would imagine they were competing in an Olympic challenge, they show such focus and efficiency. They chat a little, but mostly it is a joyful frenzy: bag 300 pounds of pasta before noon, label 1200 jars of instant coffee — and get those labels on straight! One time we dug through 20 bushels of green peppers in 30 minutes, checking for blemishes before boxing them up for the pantries. It’s grunt work, but with the Sustainers in the lead, it’s as if we’re kids playing in a sandbox. And they do it day after day, week after week — heroes guaranteeing everyone gets to eat.

Feeling inspired?  Learn more about volunteering and sign up > sfmfoodbank.org/volunteer.

Video | Happy New Year 2017

January 12, 2017

As we embark on a New Year at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, we want to recognize the accomplishments you helped make possible. With the support of thousands of volunteers, donors, and partners, we nourished nearly a quarter of a million neighbors last year. Thank you! We hope you are as excited and energized as we are for 2017.

Donate Your Car and Help Neighbors in Need

December 21, 2016

“Donate your car and turn your wheels into meals.”

Bay Area Broadcasters Give Not One, but Two Gifts to the Food Bank

Do you have an old clunker that’s taking up space in your driveway or garage? Are you moving soon and want to “lighten the load” by off-loading your vehicle? Are you interested in a generous tax write-off, while giving back to your neighbors who can use some help?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, we encourage you to follow the lead of longtime Bay Area broadcasting duo Mike Sugerman and Janice Wright. They recently donated their car to benefit the Food Bank as they prepared to retire and relocate to the east coast to be closer to family.

Having covered Food Bank stories for years for KCBS Radio and KPIX TV, Mike and Janice were delighted to discover that the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank accepts donated cars – a perfect send-off for their Toyota that wouldn’t be making the trip. In fact, they were so excited, they gave us another gift…this song:

Vehicle donations play a critical role in some of the work we do here at the Food Bank.  Last year, people donated 33 cars to the Food Bank. We were able to turn those into $27,000, good enough to provide nearly 55,000 meals.

Donate Your Car
Donating your unwanted car or truck  is easier than selling it and you’ll receive a tax receipt for your contribution. You can donate your car by visiting Center for Car Donations. If you have any questions, please email our Donor Services or call (415) 282-1900, ext 353.

Mayella’s Story | “It changed my life.”

December 20, 2016

Mayella is a Food Bank participant and pantry volunteer. This is her story.

“The first time I came home with a bag of Food Bank groceries, it was like a weight had been lifted. My husband and I could not find work, and it was by chance that a pantry volunteer overheard that we were going hungry. When she gave us food, it changed my life.

Today, I’m a volunteer at that same pantry because I want to give back to my community.

The holidays are extra special at the pantry: we put on music, and I bake cookies for everyone. I don’t have a lot of money, but I can bake, I can share, and I can give my time.

For my family’s holiday meal, my husband and I go fishing, and then I cook everything I get from the Food Bank. My kids go back to school and tell everyone they’ve had a holiday feast. They don’t know the stress it is to put food on the table. They’re just happy to have a big holiday meal. And that’s the way the holidays should be.

Thank you for helping make sure the Food Bank can give me and my family, and everyone who needs some help, a very special holiday.”

Local Teenager Raises Enough Money for 15,000 Meals

September 29, 2016

For the last 17 months, 14-year-old high school student Logan Bhamidipaty has been driving an hour with his mom to the Food Bank’s San Francisco warehouse to volunteer.

To date, he’s given 270 hours of his time to sorting and repacking thousands of pounds of food to be distributed across the Food Bank’s 450 partner agencies and pantries.

Leading up to the holidays, Logan decided to do even more. “When he began, I expected him to raise only a few hundred dollars,” said Logan’s mom. But through pet sitting, walking dogs, cashing in recyclables, and telling people about his mission, Logan shocked everyone by raising $2,500. “I was inspired that one dollar could provide three meals,” Logan says.

Due to a match from Riverbed, Logan’s gift was doubled to $5,000, meaning his donation ultimately provided 15,000 meals to people in our community.

Feeling inspired? You can start a food and fund drive of your own in just a few minutes. Or donate now and help us provide #10MillionMeals this holiday season.

Featured as a guest for ABC7’s holiday show at the warehouse in December 2015.

Logan was also featured in his own school’s paper.

Grocery Deliveries Make a Big Difference to Homebound Seniors

September 29, 2016

On a recent Saturday morning, Kathleen a volunteer from the Fairfax Food Panty, makes a stop to bring food to an elderly couple living in a charming yet perilously-perched house on a hillside in Marin County. The steps alone would be enough to discourage grocery gathering, and the gentleman’s dementia and his wife’s recent fall make leaving the house all but impossible.

They declined to be identified, but their caretaker Leslie Gould tells their story. “Their income is extremely limited and they’re housebound. She can’t drive. ‘Dad’ has Alzheimer’s,” Leslie says.

Accompanied by Leslie, Kathleen walks through the front door with a box full of groceries for the couple. Dad looks up from the couch and cheerfully calls out a greeting. His wife gingerly trims his fingernails while Leslie and Kathleen put the groceries down in the kitchen.

“They really benefit from the Food Bank,” Leslie says as she puts a container of cherry tomatoes on the counter. “There is always a lot of produce. A lot of older people don’t get a chance to eat much produce, so that’s really helpful.”

In Saturday’s box, there’s also yogurt, salsa, bananas, cinnamon bread, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, sliced zucchini and squash, turkey breast and fish. Kathleen began bringing the couple groceries at the request of the pastor at the Fairfax Community Church.

“They are always very thankful,” Kathleen says of the elderly couple she delivers to each week. A pantry participant herself, Kathleen volunteers to help make sure other receive the food they need as well. “It’s a really good feeling.”