Please click on any of the below links to find out more about the Food Bank's programs.
- Emergency Food Pantries
- Compassion In Action
- Brown Bag Program for Low Income Seniors
- USDA Commodities Program
- Holiday Food Boxes
- Food for Nonprofit Agencies
EMERGENCY FOOD PANTRIES
This program provides food to individuals and families experiencing a short term crisis.
The Food Bank’s role in the Emergency Food Program: The Food Bank solicits food from the food industry, conducts food drives in the community and raises money to purchase foods that are donated in short supply.
We also truck, sort and pack the food for the seven emergency food pantries in Marin.
The role of the seven Emergency Food Pantries: Clients are interviewed by the individual pantries who determine whether or not food will be issued to them. The pantries keep records, pack the individual food boxes and issue the food.
Each emergency food pantry operates independently and is governed by its own agency’s Board of Directors. All of the pantry agencies have a signed contract with the Food Bank stating that they will operate their pantry according to basic, agreed-upon guidelines and will not actively solicit food.
The Food Bank provides 2,000 complete food orders to the seven pantries every month. Each order contains enough related food for the client family to prepare three meals per day for three days.
The Food Bank provides food to the following pantries:
- Canal Alliance
- Community Resource Center of West Marin
- Novato Human Needs Center
- Ritter Center
- San Geronimo Valley Community Center
- Southern Marin /St. Andrew Presbyterian Church
- The Salvation Army
COMPASSION IN ACTION PROGRAM
This program provides ongoing nutritional support to families where the primary breadwinner is suffering from long-term severe crisis, such as AIDS or cancer and whose needs cannot be met by other existing services.
Service providers, churches, synagogues, hospitals, etc. refer clients to this Food Bank program. The Food Bank makes no judgement as to whether or not the client needs ongoing food boxes. This is the responsibility of the referring agency or professional who is working with the family.
Compassion in Action provides a client and his/her family with approximately 70 pounds of food twice a month. Unlike “emergency food,” which has a basic menu, these boxes are individualized and contain more fresh fruits and vegetables and items such as Ensure that are critical to the client’s recovery.
These boxes are intended to provide a family with enough related foods to prepare meals for seven days. Community volunteers deliver these boxes to the clients.
Below are some sources for referral to Compassion in Action:
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OR PROFESSIONAL PAYS FOR THIS FOOD. THIS SERVICE IS MADE POSSIBLE BY YOUR SUPPORT!
BROWN BAG PROGRAM FOR LOW INCOME SENIORS
Marin seniors over 60 years of age with an income of less
than $1126.00 per month are eligible to receive supplemental
food bags.
This distribution is the main social outing for some of these low-income seniors, encouraging them to come together to help pack the individual bags, so that receiving their Brown Bag is a social event as well as a distribution of food.
Because public transit is difficult and expensive for many frail seniors, community volunteers deliver some bags directly to the seniors. Other seniors pick up their food bags at distribution sites.
Brown Bag Sites:
| Corte Madera/Larkspur Ignacio Marin City Mill Valley Novato Pt. Reyes San Anselmo Fairfax San Rafael Terra Linda Tiburon Sausalito |
- Corte Madera Recreation Center - Mackey Terrace Community Center - Marguerita C. Johnson Senior Center - Shut-in delivery by Food Bank volunteers - Homestead Terrace Community Room - Kruger Pines Community Room - Casa Nova Community Room - Hamilton Villas - Margaret Todd Senior Center - Community Resource Center of West Marin - Knights of Columbus - Bennett House - The Salvation Army - Parnow Friendship House - Venetia Oaks Community Room - Maria Freitas Senior Housing - Martinelli House - Golden Hinde Community Room - Bradley House Community Room - Farley Place Community Room - Shut-in delivery by Food Bank volunteers |
425 seniors participated in the Brown Bag program during 2007. The average age of Brown Bag seniors is 73 years and our oldest senior is 94 years young!
USDA COMMODITY DISTRIBUTION
USDA Commodity Distribution is regulated by the Federal Government. Food is available to people whose income falls below $1,276.00 per month.
An average of 1,434 people receive food through this program each month. It is important to know that the Food Bank has no control over the food items distributed through this program. We are informed on a monthly basis what and how much food we will receive for distribution.
Some of the foods provided by USDA for distribution are: rice, dried beans, refried beans, canned green beans, dry milk, peanut butter, potatoes, canned fruit, tuna and flour.
Food is distributed at the following locations on the fourth Thursday of each month, except November, when distribution is moved up two weeks because of Thanksgiving. There is no December distribution.
- Canal Alliance
- Community Resource Center of West Marin
- Corte Madera Recreation Center
- Southern Marin Pantry/St. Andrew Presbyterian Church
- Novato Human Needs Center
- San Rafael - The Salvation Army
- San Geronimo Valley Community Center
HOLIDAY FOOD BOXES
The Food Bank provides holiday food boxes to families with special needs during Thanksgiving, Chanukah and Christmas.
THANKSGIVING FOOD BOXES – are distributed to seniors on the Brown Bag Program and to individuals and families served by the Compassion in Action Program.
Each box contains a roasting chicken, stuffing, cranberry sauce, onions, potatoes, green beans, bread, fruit and some kind of sweets.
HANUKKAH FOOD BOXES – are distributed to individuals and families who celebrate this holiday and who need assistance during this holiday season. Referrals for these boxes come from agencies and professionals who work with us.
These boxes contain kosher meat, eggs, celery, carrots, potatoes, onions, oil, canned vegetables, soup, fresh fruit, jello, margarine and dried fruits and nuts.
CHRISTMAS BOXES – are distributed to individuals and families who celebrate this holiday and who need assistance during this holiday season.
Christmas Food Boxes contain: a turkey or ham, potatoes, eggs, carrots, fresh fruit, canned vegetables, olives or cranberry sauce, sweets and other miscellaneous items.
The Food Bank provides Holiday food boxes through the following agencies:
- Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Marin
- Brown Bag Program for low-income seniors
- Center Point Transitional Housing
- Compassion in Action Program
- Fairfax-San Anselmo Children’s Center
- Marin County Health and Human Services
- Lifehouse
- Low-income and disabled individuals living in HUD Subsidized housing
- Marin Abused Women’s Services Transitional Housing
- Marin AIDS Project
- Marin Center for Independent Living
- Marin Conservation Corps
- Ritter Center Emergency Food Pantry
- Salvation Army Emergency Food Pantry
- San Geronimo Valley Community Center Emergency Food Pantry
- Santa Cops/San Rafael
- Southern Marin Emergency Food Pantry/St. Andrew Presbyterian Church
- West Marin Resource Center Emergency Food Pantry
FOOD FOR NONPROFIT AGENCIES
THESE AGENCIES SERVE ON-SITE MEALS AND/OR REFRESHMENTS TO THEIR CLIENTS AND ARE APPROVED TO RECEIVE FOOD FROM THE FOOD BANK
- A.B.L.E. - A Broader Living Experience
- Avalon Group Homes
- Bay Area Community Resources/New Perspectives
- Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Marin
- Boy Scouts of America, Marin Council
- Buckelew Programs (11 sites)
- California Autism Foundation (3 sites)
- Canal Alliance Teen Program
- Canal Child Care
- Caremax International
- Casa Allegra Community Services
- Cedars of Marin (8 sites)
- Center Point Programs, Inc. (3 sites)
- Elpida House, Inc.
- Exodus Inc. (9 sites)
- Fairfax-San Anselmo Children’s Center
- Helen Vine Detox Center
- Homeward Bound of Marin
- Huckleberry Teen Health Center
- Huckleberry Youth Programs
- Kentfield Living Skills Home
- Lifehouse (13 sites)
- Marguerita C. Johnson Senior Center
- Marin Abused Women’s Services
- Marin AIDS Project
- Marin Conservation Corps
- Marin Head Start
- Marin Senior Coordinating Council
- Marin Services For Men
- Marin Services For Women
- North Bay Children’s Center
- Novato Ecumenical Loaves & Fishes
- Novato Teen Center
- Novato Youth Center
- Performing Stars of Marin
- Project AVARY
- Saint Vincent De Paul Society
- Saint Vincent’s School For Boys
- Shelter Hill Children’s Programs
- STA Norcal-Crisis Facilities
- Sunny Hills Children’s Services
- The Janet Pomeroy Center
- Women Helping All People
