Amazon Partners With SF-Marin Food Bank To Fight Food Insecurity

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — In the 18 months since the coronavirus pandemic started, the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank has seen demand grow expodentially for requests for weekly grocery delivery to local residents who struggle with food insecurity.

In that time, the pantry has seen weekly deliveries expand to 50,000 households, which represents a significant increase from the 32,000 weekly deliveries the food bank was making before the pandemic started.

But the food bank has also found an invaluable partner in Amazon, which has donated free groceries to many of the pantry’s customers. By taking care of the delivery process, Amazon has aided individuals and families who were unable to visit the food bank to pick up food during the pandemic, the company said.

Amazon worked with its delivery partners to provide a much-needed resource, which allowed for contactless drop-off for the food bank’s clients, including those who are homeless or considered vulnerable such as senior citizens, pregnant women, the disabled and children, Amazon officials said.

Amazon now delivers 10 percent of the 8,000 bags of groceries that the food bank home provides to participants each week. During the pandemic, the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank grow to 1,200 on-site deliveries each week, which represents a significant increase from the 200 deliveries it was making before the pandemic started.

Thanks to the partnership with Amazon, the food bank reports that more than 1 million meals have been delivered and has served more than 80,000 meals to homebound clients while addressing food insecurity issues in San Francisco County.

According to Feeding America, the food insecurity rate in San Francisco County is 13.3 percent with more than 140,000 people in San Francisco alone who are considered food insecure. In nearby Marin County, the rate stands at 9.5 percent.

“The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank is grateful for the support of generous partners like Amazon,” said Barbara Abbott, vice President of Supply Chain at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. “We continue to see a huge need for resources in our community, and Amazon’s support has been integral in ensuring we can home-deliver fresh and healthy food to our neighbors who need it.”

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2021, about 42 million Americans may not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.