OAKLAND, Calif. — Every day, dozens of volunteers and staff at the Alameda County Community Food Bank sort and package fruits and vegetables like carrots and pears in order to feed the hungry. These and other types of food are then taken to 240 agencies across the county. The food bank, which has been in service for 29 years, compensates for the lack of help from federal agencies, said Tiffany Kang, the communications coordinator. “We treat all clients equally — no questions asked,” she said.
More than half of the primary clients of the food bank are children, and the food bank can be categorized as a seasonal-dependent operation with high demand during holidays and summertime. Children who get free meals from school do not have access to as much food in the summertime, so the food bank goes to places like public libraries with a mobile pantry to deliver food.
The common sight of food barrels that are seen in schools, offices and malls only account for 5 percentage of the total food collected at the banks. Money from donors leads to the most food purchased and distributed. Through “grocery rescue programs,” Kang said, the food bank receives all the odd-looking produce that such corporations as Safeway and Lucky’s do not want to sell, but the food itself is still high quality and nutritious.
With every $1 donated, $4 worth of food can be bought and distributed in the county, Kang said.
“[We] always try to go with the ideology that if you’re in line, you’re hungry.”