KCBS Radio: Mayor London Breed Visits Food Bank on Giving Tuesday

November 27, 2018

Celebrated on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, “Giving Tuesday” is now known as a global day of giving – the charitable answer to the more commercialized events of “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday.”  It’s a day when many people focus on making a difference in their communities through volunteering and/or charitable giving to their favorite nonprofits.

In 2018, Giving Tuesday was an especially busy time at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank as large groups of volunteers, who signed up for this day months in advance, were on hand all day, packing and sorting food. They’ll were joined by a special guest, San Francisco Mayor London Breed.

The Mayor took a a short tour of the Food Bank warehouse on November 27th, then rolled up her sleeves and sort food alongside teenage volunteers from St Anne School in San Francisco.

“We are always working to provide food security for all San Franciscans, but these efforts take on particular urgency during this time of year,” said Mayor Breed. “The holiday season is about being of service to others and helping those who are less fortunate, and Giving Tuesday is a celebration of that spirit.”

Hear more from the Mayor in this story from KCBS Reporter Jeffrey Schaub.

 

KQED Forum: Food Bankers Talking About Struggle During the Holidays

November 21, 2018

Two Food Bank Participants, Mike Bartell and Gloria Hernandez, were recently featured on KQED’s Forum program. They were asked to come into the studio the day before Thanksgiving 2018 and talk about their struggles with hunger and how organizations like the Food Bank are able to help them survive and thrive.

Click on THIS LINK and take a listen to host John Sepulveda as he asks poignant questions and gets more information about the Food Bank’s mission from Community Engagement Director Katy McKnight.

 

Marin Voice: Proposed changes to ‘public charge’ would increase hunger

November 19, 2018

As Bay Area food banks, we work every day to fight hunger in our communities, collectively distributing over 172 million pounds of food each year, the equivalent of 143 million meals. We are alarmed by the Department of Homeland Security’s proposed changes to “public charge” regulations, which would increase hunger and poverty by punishing legal immigrants for using programs to nourish those in need and keep families healthy.

Read more from this Op-Ed, produced by leaders of all the Bay Area Food Banks, which was published in the Marin Independent Journal on November 19th, 2018.

 

San Francisco Chronicle: Hidden Hunger

November 19, 2018

San Francisco Chronicle Reporter Tara Duggan recently did an in-depth series of stories that were all published in the paper the week before Thanksgiving, 2018.  Several of them include information provided by the San Francisco Food Bank.

SF Chronicle Hidden Hunger

SF Chronicle – Hidden Hunger Cover Page

SF Chronicle – How Families Slip Through The Cracks

SF Chronicle – Dire Straits in Marin (Hilarita Apartments Pantry)

SF Chronicle – Two Meals a Day

SF Chronicle – What Is Food Insecurity And How Is It Measured

SF Chronicle – Tending The Hungry

SF Chronicle – In Facebook’s Shadow

SF Chronicle – The Quest To Provide Healthy Solutions

 

Metallica: Fundraiser Involves the Food Bank

November 12, 2018

Back in May the band Metallica and it’s nonprofit foundation, All Within My Hands, descended on the Food Bank for a Day of Service.  This past weekend, Foundation leaders and the band hosted their annual fundraising gala. 

Check out the video below, produced with soundbites from Food Bankers Janine Hurty and Robert Alvarez.

ABC 7 & Disney Deliver $15,000 Donation

November 3, 2018

ABC 7 and Disney showed off their generosity at the Food Bank recently.  ABC7 news anchor Dion Lim paid a visit to our San Francisco warehouse on November 3rd to deliver a check for $15,000 to our Executive Director Paul Ash.  It’s part of Disney’s annual season of giving – with these particular funds earmarked for use in securing more fresh produce for neighbors in need.

Check out more of the coverage from ABC 7 here.

 

Marin Independent Journal: Marin Hunger Summit Draws Hundreds

September 24, 2018

Activists battling hunger in Marin held a strategy session Monday in San Rafael, just two days after the Trump administration announced a new immigration policy likely to discourage many Latinos from seeking all types of governmental assistance, including food aid.

About 150 people from the private and government sectors turned out for the community forum on hunger hosted by  the First 5 Marin Children and Families Commission at the Embassy Suites Hotel.

Read more about the story from reporter Richard Halstead from the Marin Independent Journal here.