OAKLAND, Calif. — Many neighborhoods are “food deserts,” areas where people have no access to reach good, healthy foods, which affects the rise in obesity and obesity-related diseases, says Tiffany Kang, communications coordinator for the Alameda County Community Food Bank. But she and others in the nonprofit organization are working through social-service agencies to bring healthy food to them.
Since 1985, the Alameda County Community Food Bank has been providing food for rehab centers, food pantries, soup kitchens, child and senior care centers, after-school programs and other community-based organizations. About 80 employees and 13,000 volunteers bag and pack fresh fruits and vegetables to be sent to these 240 partner organizations.
In 2012, the food bank distributed 23.3 million pounds of food to these organizations, 53 percent of which was fresh fruits and vegetables. The food bank also was the first in the country to ban carbonated beverages in its donations; since then, it has increased fruit and vegetable distribution by 1000 percent.
Weekly, the food bank distributes enough food for 380,000 meals for men, women and children living with food insecurity.
Kang said, “If in a line of 20 [people] one was fed what needed it, we’ve done our jobs.” She took this position two months ago after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania and said her role in communications gives her a chance to write meaningful stories.
“My own family grew up on food stamps, so this is an area that’s very close to my heart,” she said.
She explained that working with the food bank is also cost-efficient for the many agencies they work with. “The extent of hunger can never be measured,” Kang said, “but we go by: If you’re in line, you’re hungry.”
The goal of Bay Area food banks, including Alameda County’s, is to give food to everyone, “no questions asked,” she said. In the summer, the food bank also tries to reach the many children who are no longer receiving free or reduced-cost breakfasts and lunches from their schools through its Mobile Pantry and backpack programs.