California’s Food Banks Go Locavore

Please check out this wonderful article highlighting California food banks’ innovative program to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to people in need: 80 million pounds this year!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/11/magazine/11banks-t.html

Last year, we distributed 3 million pounds of produce in Contra Costa and Solano counties. One of the ways we are able to get so much fresh produce into the community is through our Farm 2 Kids program. Every week, Farm 2 Kids provides 3-5 pounds of fresh produce to over 6,000 children in 55 after school programs in Contra Costa and Solano counties. Over 50% of the students in these schools receive free or reduced cost school lunches, meaning at least half of the households in the school are considered low-income by the federal government.

If you have questions or need more information about the Farm 2 Kids program, please contact Caitlin Sly, (800) 870-FOOD extension 241 or csly@foodbankccs.org.

Helping to get the word out

Our friend Anna Chan, the Lemon Lady, has been helping to get the word out about Hunger Action Month. Anna has been harvesting fruits and veggies from people in the community who have an overabundance and taking the produce to hunger relief organizations in the community. Here's her post from Sunday, August 30, 2009: Hunger Action Month. Don't you care enough to click a little?.

Keep up the good work, Anna!

For more about Hunger Action Month, visit www.foodbankccs.org and click on the Hunger Action Month logo.

Farm to Family at the White House

The California Association of Food Banks' (of which we are a member) Farm to Family Program was recognized at the White House on June 30 when President Obama highlighted innovative non-profit programs that are making a difference in communities across the country. The program was recognized as one that is demonstrating results even as the country faces difficult times. Such groups, Obama said, hold the promise of finding solutions to persistent problems and to meeting unprecedented challenges. Farm to Family founder Gary Maxworthy attended the event because of his role in shaping the program since its inception.

Congratulations to Gary and the entire Farm to Family team!

Learn more:
KRON4-San Francisco
San Francisco Food Bank Blog

Got fruit?

Attention residents in the Danville/Alamo area: did you know someone local is willing to harvest and/or deliver local fruit to the Food Bank or other neighborhood pantries?

Anna Chan, The Lemon Lady, says, "Mira is super sweet and interested in helping more. The word is just beginning to get around about her efforts. She has made several donations, driving all the way from Alamo to Concord to deliver fresh fruit to The Salvation Army and Share Food Pantry. Mira is very dedicated to the hunger cause."

Thank Mira and Anna for all the hard work you are doing!

Fresh fruit in the garden and what to do with it...

See the Lemon Lady in the news

Anna, The Lemon Lady, spent the day with ABC7 talking about the work she does and the need for fresh produce at food pantries. Read more here: http://claycord.blogspot.com/2009/06/lemon-lady-of-claycord-on-abc7-news.html
and here: http://thelemonlady.blogspot.com/2009/06/exciting-day-with-abc-news-reporters.html.

Plant a Row for the Hungry

Join the Contra Costa Times and Oakland Tribune, and the Contra Costa Master Gardeners in their project "Our Garden". The goal of "Our Garden" is to teach others how to grow vegetables in your own gardens, using environmentally responsible methods (from the Oakland Tribune website). They will be donating produce grown in the garden to the Food Bank and you can too! To learn more about Plant a Row, visit our website.