Brown Bag Pantries support seniors
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early one in four seniors in San Francisco and Marin face the threat of hunger. We believe that after a lifetime of hard work, seniors should be able to retire with dignity – not worry about their next meal. To that end, the Food Bank has established Brown Bag pantries tailored to the needs of our community’s seniors. The pantries bring nutritious foods directly to the housing centers where low-income seniors live. For a pantry participant named Jake Becerra, the pantry at Martinelli House in San Rafael makes it possible for him to afford to age in place. “I live on $1,200 disability. Rent is $650, so I have to do whatever I have to do with the difference. If I didn’t have the food pantry, that $500 would be gone,” he says. “It’s a blessing.” Each week, Brown Bag pantries help more than 5,000 senior households maintain their health and independence in the communities they call home.
Healthy Children Pantries meet parents where they are “I live on $1,200 disability. Rent is $650, so I have to do whatever I have to do with the difference. If I didn’t have the food pantry, that $500 would be gone. It’s a blessing.” – Jake Becerra
“My husband has been out of work one year. It’s very difficult to get by. We’re lucky because we have pantry food.”
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– Viviana Hernandez
After dropping off their kids for school, Hillcrest Elementary parents stop by the food pantry for weekly groceries. About 75 families make use of the pantry, including volunteer and parent of 7-year-old Josuha, Viviana Hernandez.
hildren are among those most vulnerable to the effects of hunger. To combat that reality, the Food Bank has created a network of Healthy Children Pantries located at high-need public schools and childcare centers.
“My husband has been out of work one year,” Viviana explains. “It’s very difficult to get by. We’re lucky because we have pantry food. “The vegetables and the fruit are very fresh. I think it’s important that the food is nutritious. We tell the kids to eat fruit and vegetables every day,” she says. Along with fresh produce, Healthy Children Pantries feature pantry staples like rice, pasta and beans and lean protein such as chicken and eggs. These groceries provide more than 5,000 families each week with healthy food for the dinner table.
900 Pennsylvania Avenue San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 282-1900 75 Digital Drive San Francisco, CA 94949 (415) 883-1302
www.sfmfoodbank.org @sfmfoodbank...............
Food Smarts Workshops improve nutrition for future generations “If we teach him now, over time, he will make good decisions about food.” – Erika Torralba
Morning Snack provides fuel for learning
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aintaining balanced nutrition on a limited income can present special challenges. The Food Bank offers six-week Food Smarts Workshops that teach the fundamentals of nutrition, including meal planning and shopping on a tight budget.
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Participant Erika Torralba says the most important thing she’s learned from the class is how to read food labels. She recently found out that “sugar” goes by many different names in an ingredient list, including corn syrup, dextrose, lactose and fructose.
Every morning at recess at West Marin Elementary School, the students know it’s snack time. They file one by one out to the playground, grabbing a mandarin on the way. Last week it was string cheese, and another day’s menu featured baby carrots.
“They’re teaching us vocabulary that we didn’t know,” Erika says. The ideas taught in class help Erika raise her 5-year-old nephew with a better sense of nutrition than she and her parents had growing up. “If we teach him now, over time, he will make good decisions about food,” she says. Ending hunger is about more than making sure people have enough calories. The Food Bank’s nutrition classes are empowering a new generation of families to eat right for future health and happiness.
unger has no place in the classroom, so the Food Bank is providing kids a valuable nutritional boost with our Morning Snack Program, available in more than 30 public schools and childcare centers.
“The snack helps them a lot,” says teacher Luis Burgos. “Before the morning snack program, I would often hear ‘I’m hungry.’ I haven’t heard that since. The snack really helps them concentrate. This is a great program. It’s very beneficial for the kids.” Across San Francisco and Marin, the Food Bank delivers healthy snacks such as apples, carrots and string cheese to 35 sites each school day, serving a total of 11,000 students and helping to fuel their busy, active days.
“Before the morning snack program, I would often hear ‘I’m hungry.’ I haven’t heard that since.” – Luis Burgos
FISCAL YEAR 2012-2013
annual report