Every Wednesday afternoon at the Health Hub food pantry at Marin Community Clinics in San Rafael, Warren packs cabbage, onions, and celery into boxes. By the time the last participant heads home from this San Francisco-Food Bank partner, nearly 400 neighbors will have picked up fresh groceries on foot and by car.
It’s a routine Warren knows by heart. He’s been volunteering with the Food Bank every week since the pandemic began in 2020, and he never tires of it.
Warren has lived in Mill Valley for more than 20 years, but the Food Bank has been part of his life even longer. He remembers volunteering at the San Francisco warehouse on a firm-wide volunteer day back when he was still practicing law. Over the years, his family donated annually, but it never quite felt like enough.
It wasn’t until the pandemic that everything changed. As neighbors lost jobs and struggled to put food on the table, the Food Bank launched Pop-Up Pantries across San Francisco and Marin to meet a historic surge in need. Warren started showing up at two of them in Mill Valley. What started as an annual donation became a weekly volunteer shift.
“I realized that the Food Bank is not a one-time-a-year deal,” he explained. “It’s ongoing, every week. I felt like our family’s contributions ought to match that.”
When the Pop-Ups closed as part of the Food Bank’s planned transition back to its Neighborhood Food Pantry network, Warren found his way to MCC.
Fresh Food from California Farms
What strikes Warren most is the quality of what he gets to hand out. More than 70% of what the Food Bank distributes is fresh fruits and vegetables sourced through partnerships directly with California farmers through the groundbreaking Farm to Family program.
“The Food Bank is really well managed,” he continued. “They work directly with farmers, lowering the cost and increasing the freshness. At a time when people are concerned about ultra-processed food, it’s the exact opposite.”
Warren knows good produce when he sees it. He worked as a sous chef and then a chef during law school and has cooked with fresh ingredients ever since. Seeing that same quality go out to participants every week means something to him.
“It’s the way I cook at home,” he said, “and it’s nice to see that [the Food Bank is] doing that.”
Every Month Matters
Warren and his wife made a deliberate choice to switch from annual gifts to monthly giving, paid by direct bank transfer to save the Food Bank processing fees. For Warren, the reason was simple: hunger doesn’t take months off.
“A lot of people show up around Thanksgiving or Christmas,” he said. “But the other 11 months of the year, the need is still there. By giving monthly, we make sure that the Food Bank has funds 12 months a year.”
And for Warren, monthly giving is just easier.
“You don’t have to think about, ‘Oh, this is November, this is when I make my annual contribution,'” he said. “As a monthly giver, you don’t have to think about it.”
That consistency means more meals for families and neighbors who need them most.
Beyond Volunteering
Warren’s involvement with the Food Bank goes beyond his weekly shift and monthly giving. He’s also reached out to his county supervisor to advocate for policies that strengthen food access in Marin.
With federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/CalFresh in California) threatening nutrition assistance for thousands of families, and food prices continuing to rise, the urgency is real. Warren believes addressing hunger shouldn’t fall only on those who can afford to give.
“These are things we really ought to be doing as a society, ” he said, “not just the privileged few. I can’t do much about Congress right now, but I can do this, so I am.”
Part of the Solution
What keeps Warren coming back is the feeling that he’s part of the solution.
“I have a warm place in my heart for the Food Bank,” he said. “There’s a need that I fully recognize, and I’m addressing it in my own way.”
A weekly shift, a monthly gift, a call to a supervisor — over six years, it adds up. That’s the thing about showing up: once you start, you don’t stop.
“You get what you give,” he said. “What else is there?”
Want to show up for your community like Warren? Become a monthly donor, sign up to volunteer, or learn how to advocate for neighbors facing hunger.
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