Food Bank has served many meals during virus
Organization has distributed over 40 million pounds of food
When COVID-19 struck, food banks wasted no time in stepping up to the plate. Then they filled that plate with meals. Millions of them.
Before the pandemic hit, national food insecurity levels were the lowest they had been in 20 years, yet the Food Bank was providing food assistance for approximately 176,000 of our neighbors each month. However, as an essential business, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano immediately found a way to efficiently serve its neighbors in need, serving 260,000 people per month since March of 2020 — an increase of 100,000 people each month on average.
“That’s what it’s all about. Putting in the day-to-day work and seeing that food gets into the hands of the people who need it,” said Food Bank Communications Director, Diana Brennan. “It’s great to see everything come to fruition.
Nobody should have to go starving, not during anytime. So what Food Bank did is great in that it helps someone in finding it easier to sleep because they know this little bit helps them finds way to pay off other things.”
Brennan was the longtime Director of Media of Community Relations at Sonoma Raceway before taking the job with Food Bank nearly two months ago. Although she was Sonoma Raceway for 20 years, one of the first things she did in 2001 was help start a food drive.
“That was one of the first things I did at Sonoma, so I’ve been a fan of food drives my whole life,” Brennan said. “When I first came to Food Bank the thing I didn’t realize was just how massive it is. People don’t just only come up to our warehouses in Concord and Fairfield, they help out all over the place. There are around 240 local non profits within the communities. The complexity and the volume of adaptability during the pandemic by everyone in the organization was amazing. So many people stepped up.”
Since the pandemic hit, Food Bank has distributed over 40 million pounds of food; an average of 3.3 million pounds of food each month. They served 289,174 people in December alone — a record
high.
Food Bank has also quadrupled food purchasing to meet demand and hosted up to 75 distribution sites each week throughout Contra Costa and Solano counties.
Throughout the year Food Bank also worked with community partners to deliver food to homes, support school district breakfast and lunch giveaways, and create new drive-thru distribution models. It brought in National Guard members who prepared 1,000 boxes and 10,000 pounds of produce each weekday early in the pandemic. The organization also supported those affected by the LNU Complex fire with water and easy-to-eat food.
In the end, Food Bank logged over 109,000 hours of service by more than 6,500 volunteers; equivalent to more than 52 fulltime staff.
Six Flags held a massive food giveaway through Food Bank back in May. Other people that have helped out throughout the year includes veteran Wilfred Alexander, who helps out Rebuilding Together and veterans by driving his truck to pick up food at the Solano and Contra Costa Food Banks for giveaway events.
“It feels great to help out like this. It is like a light shining through my heart,” Alexander said in December. “I volunteer every chance I get.”