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Food Bank Pantries Offer Families a Lifeline
 Yuri works full-time as a secretary at the Glen Park elementary school her six year old daughter attends. Her husband’s work in construction has been hit hard by the recession, and that lack of opportunity results in small or sporadic paychecks.
The family makes just above the limit to qualify for food stamps but not quite enough to make ends meet. (To qualify for food stamps, a family of three can make no more than $24,089.) This is a situation many families face in San Francisco and Marin, where the basic cost of living becomes a burden on a low-income household.
Fortunately, Yuri’s family found help through the Food Bank’s Healthy Children Pantry that is hosted at her daughter’s school each Thursday. Each week, around 60 families gather at the school to pick up groceries to supplement their budget, leaving with bags of whole grains, beans, pasta, and in-season produce like carrots, potatoes, onions, celery and apples. Yuri is a consistent volunteer there, as well as a participant.
The food pantry is a lifeline for Yuri and her family, as it is for thousands of people in our community. More than 70% of the food we distribute supports these weekly farmers’ market-style pantries, with an emphasis on fresh produce. For more information, Please visit our website »
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A New Year’s Resolution That’s Easy to Keep!
It’s that time again, when each of us starts the New Year with renewed hope and goals for 2012. As you resolve to take a walk each day or drink more water, consider adding one more resolution to the list: join the Mean-A-Month Club and become a monthly supporter of the Food Bank!
For Vanessa Medeiros, the Meal-A-Month Club offers an easy way to give back. When asked why she joined, Vanessa said, “I think everybody should make a resolution to do something to help others. It’s the start of a new cycle, why not join now?” Vanessa’s automatic monthly donations provide reliable funds to the Food Bank so nutritious food reaches those in need each day of the year. She adds, “Not only are you helping someone, but it makes you feel good that you are part of something.”
When you join the Meal-a-Month Club, your donation is automatically charged each month until you decide to stop, making this a New Year’s resolution that’s easy to keep! Join the club »
Winter Warehouse
Many people are surprised to learn that winter is prime harvest time for many types of citrus. One look into our warehouse right now illustrates that season nicely. Our pantry orders are stocked with gorgeous citrus fruit!
 Among the prime deliveries are easy-to-peel mandarin orange “cuties,” which are perfect for kids’ snacks at schools and after-school programs since they don’t require an adult to slice them. In addition to the cuties, we have a good assortment of other hand-held fruit such as pears and apples.
More than half of all of the food we distribute is fresh produce. Even through seasonal fluctuations, we work hard to keep our orders balanced. Barbara Abbott, our Food Resources Manager explains, “We have a variety of winter vegetables right now — winter squash, potatoes onions, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, celery and carrots.” Every Monday this month we will also receive a full truckload of lettuce products and fully prepped cut vegetables from Yuma County. This month, we also received three truckloads of purchased bulk oats, pinto beans and black beans which our volunteers will package into 1lb easy-to-transport bags for our program participants.
We are excited to provide people in need with nutritious foods year-round, and work hard to make sure there are staples and produce available each month, no matter the season. For a warming winter root vegetable recipe, click here »
Highlights & Announcements
ABC7 Makes an Impact on Hunger
 Local television station ABC7 isn’t just reporting on hunger — they’re doing something about it. On December 15, ABC7 hosted the “Share Your Holiday Food Drive,” a very successful day-long event, highlighting “7 Ways to Give” and benefiting Bay Area Food Banks.
Throughout 15 hours of air time, ABC7 reporters Carolyn Tyler, Katie Marzullo and other newscasters broadcast both live interviews with Food Bank supporters and recorded vignettes to educate viewers on the problem of hunger in our community. And viewers responded with open hearts. The drive raised more than $24,000 in just one day! Many thanks to ABC7 and all who donated.
You can view some of the video
segments from the Food Drive
on the ABC7 website.
ABC7 is still accepting
contributions to the drive.
Text FEED to 80077 to give $10.
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Oodles of oranges…
…and other fruits, vegetables, grains, beans and canned food were sorted and packed by volunteers over the holiday season! Both warehouses were bustling with activity day and night. In fact, December brought double the amount of volunteers to the Novato warehouse as it sees in a typical month! The work of our volunteer community is inspiring and it means the world to thousands of families, seniors and individuals throughout San Francisco and Marin. Thank you!
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Thank you, business partners!
Our business partners were especially supportive this holiday season, increasing their total giving by 16%. Their fundraising efforts often included team volunteer projects and food drives, too! Many thanks to those who joined in making the holidays brighter for those in need.
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Top Notch!
Charity Navigator, the leading charity evaluator, continues to rank us as one of their “10 Top-Notch Charities!”
From the Charity Navigator website: “We believe that high-performing charities excel in three areas: (1) financial, (2) accountability & transparency and (3) results. These charities not only earn our highest 4-star rating for their Financial Health, but they also earn 4-stars in Accountability & Transparency.”
We’re excited to receive this outside validation of our ability to deliver on our mission and our commitment to maintaining the highest standards for our financial practices.
To learn more about Charity Navigator and to see the 10 Top-Notch Charities list, click here.
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Our mission is to end hunger in San Francisco and Marin.
San Francisco Food Bank • 900 Pennsylvania Ave • San Francisco, CA 94107 • (415) 282-1900 • www.sffoodbank.org
Marin Food Bank • 75 Digital Dr • Novato, CA 94949 • (415) 883-1302 • www.marinfoodbank.org
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