The average food price has skyrocketed due to corona virus pandemic and recent events. The FAO Food Price Index has saw a fresh record high of nearly 160 points.
A shocking 60% price increase over the 2014-2016 base period shows that hunger is a public health issue of critical importance.
The most vulnerable demographic of society is taking the brunt of this economic pressure. Now more than ever, low-income families must rely on California Free Clinics, California Food Stamps, and food banks.
This guide will list helpful information about Food Bank in Napa County, California and organizations that can help curb hunger, how you can use their services and where to find them.
What is a Food Bank?
Food banks are non-profit charitable organizations that assist financially vulnerable populations by distributing food. Their main objectives is to help low-income individual and families by providing food.
They will work through other 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations like food pantries and soup kitchens. Sometimes they distribute the food themselves via mobile pantry.
Food Bank in Napa County, California serves as a single collection and distribution point for food donations. They operate much like a for-profit food distributor, but they do not use retailers. Instead, they may use church food banks, charities, and other non-profit food pantries to provide food to the people to fight hunger.
How the Food Bank Works?
- 1. Food is donated to a food bank.
- 2. Its stored in a big climate controlled warehouse.
- 3. Food Bank in Napa County, California distributes food to various non-profits for distribution.
- 4. Food reaches to who are in need.
Who can use Food Banks?
Many Food Bank in Napa County, California and food pantries are locally run, with others managed at the state or federal level. Qualification to receive nutrition assistance from food programs depends on the type.
There are different qualifying requirements, but many food banks have none. Just show up during their days and times of operation, and they will help if they are able.
Here are the tips while .
- It is highly advisable to call ahead before you arrive!
- Ask about any eligibility or documentation requirements they may have.
- If required, bring all required documents when you use their services.
Second Harvest Food Bank
Second Harvest Food Bank was the first one established in California in 1972 and is the second oldest in the US. It operates multiple distribution centers across the United States.
Impact of Second Harvest Food Bank is huge, It helps 85,000 Santa Cruz residents avoid missing meals and empty stomachs.
Second Harvest Food Bank in Napa County, California is easing the burden of impossible choices for families between food, housing, medicine, and other necessities.
St. Mary's Food Bank
The St. Mary's Food Bank was a first local food bank ever established in the United States in 1967. The St. Mary's Food Bank mission is food security and hunger relief for all Americans.
The St. Mary's distributes millions of pounds of food to the hungry each year, It also operates its own food pantries to allow allow people to access food directly from their warehouses.
It also offer specialized after-school programs for kids and career training for adults.
Church Food Bank Food Bank in Napa County, California
Church Food Bank Food Bank in Napa County, California serve a hot, nutritious lunch 365 days a year, even in the face of terrible weather and ever-increasing demand.
Church Food Bank welcome anyone who is in need of a meal, regardless of the person's circumstance, with no questions asked. It also provide showers, laundry, mail, I.D. assistance and other essential services.
Feeding America
John van Hengel, the founder of St. Mary's Food Bank, went on to create a national organization for food banks. The Feeding America organization is a leader in the nation's domestic hunger-relief efforts.
The Coronavirus epidemic put even more pressure on America's most vulnerable citizens. Feeding America has helped serve 6.6 billion meals to date.
The Feeding America have grown through donations and other charitable efforts to be able to deliver much-needed food via food rescue, hunger relief programs, and disaster response.
Redwood Empire Food Bank (REFB)
Our Senior Basket program offers a 35-40 lb. box of staple food items and a variety of fresh produce once a month, ensuring low-income seniors throughout our region are food secure and equipped to live healthy, independent lives.
Senior Basket operates at 83 distribution sites throughout our service region. Please contact us for more information on locations, time and eligibility.
Services provided :
- Prepared Foods
- Fresh Produce
- After School Snacks
- Senior Meal Delivery
- Emergency Box
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (707) 523-7903ext to book your appointment.
Address :
3990 Brickway Blvd,
Santa Rosa, CA 95403.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
- Mon: 12:00 PM - 08:30 PM EST
- Tues: 12:00 PM - 08:30 PM EST
- Wed: 12:00 PM - 08:30 PM EST
- Thurs: 12:00 PM - 08:30 PM EST
- Fri: 12:00 PM - 08:30 PM EST
- Sat: Closed
- Sun: Closed
Help Residents of Counties:
- Napa
- Marin
- Sonoma
- Lake
Redwood Empire Food Bank (REFB)
The Redwood Empire Food Bank offers the Diabetes Wellness Program (DWP). DWP gives neighbors facing hunger and suffering from type 2 diabetes, a monthly provision of healthy foods, nutrition education, and connections to community clinics. The program is open to low-income adults (age 18 and above) who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes.
Participants enroll in DWP through a referral from their clinic or doctor’s office and recertify annually. Your doctor must fax, mail or email the referral form in to our office. The participant will be contacted by the REFB to verify availability in the program and determine the best location for pick up, as DWP is offered at 42 locations throughout Sonoma County.
Visit our website to print our Enrollment & Referral Form. Once you complete the Enrollment form either fax it, mail it or email it to our office. Contact us for any further questions.
Services provided :
- Prepared Foods
- Fresh Produce
- After School Snacks
- Senior Meal Delivery
- Emergency Box
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (707) 523-7903ext to book your appointment.
Address :
3990 Brickway Blvd,
Santa Rosa, CA 95403.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
- Mon: 12:00 PM - 08:30 PM EST
- Tues: 12:00 PM - 08:30 PM EST
- Wed: 12:00 PM - 08:30 PM EST
- Thurs: 12:00 PM - 08:30 PM EST
- Fri: 12:00 PM - 08:30 PM EST
- Sat: Closed
- Sun: Closed
Help Residents of Counties:
- Napa
- Marin
- Sonoma
- Lake
Alameda Food Bank
The Food Bank’s mission is to provide nutritious food to the low-income residents of the City of Alameda on a non-discriminating basis. The Alameda Food Bank is a private, non-affiliated, non-profit, tax-exempt agency. The Food Bank is overseen by a board of directors composed of community volunteers. Its day to day operation is run by two paid staff members and over 150 volunteers.
Services provided :
- Prepared Foods
- Fresh Produce
- After School Snacks
- Senior Meal Delivery
- Emergency Box
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (510) 523-5850 to book your appointment.
Address :
1900 Thau Way,
Alameda, CA 94501.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
- Mon:
- Tues:
- Wed:
- Thurs:
- Fri:
- Sat:
- Sun:
Help Residents of Cities:
- Alameda
Help Residents of Counties:
- San Mateo
- Santa Clara
- City and County of San Francisco
- Alameda
- Contra Costa
- Solano
- Napa
- Marin
Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano
The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano has been serving the community for over 35 years. The Food Bank serves approximately 149,000 hungry people in need every month directly at community sites and through a network of 180 charitable agencies, and distributed nearly 16 million pounds last year! The Food Bank works to reduce food waste, feed hungry people, and raise public awareness of issues related to food and hunger. The work could not get done without the help of the hundreds of volunteers that donate their time to coordinate food drives, sort and pack the food, and help distribute it to their hungry neighbors. - See more at: http://www.foodbankccs.org/about.html#sthash.cRqDRMB0.dpuf
Services provided :
- Prepared Foods
- Fresh Produce
- After School Snacks
- Senior Meal Delivery
- Emergency Box
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (925) 676-7543 to book your appointment.
Address :
4010 Nelson Ave,
Concord, CA 94520.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
- Mon:
- Tues:
- Wed:
- Thurs:
- Fri:
- Sat:
- Sun:
Help Residents of Cities:
- Concord
Help Residents of Counties:
- San Mateo
- Alameda
- Contra Costa
- Napa
- Solano
- Marin
- San Joaquin
- Sonoma
- Sacramento
Alameda County Community Food Bank
Alameda County Community Food Bank has been in business since 1985 ... with a vision toward a day when we can go out of business. We are the hub of a vast collection and distribution network that provides food for 275 nonprofit agencies in Alameda County. In 2012, the Food Bank distributed 23.2 million pounds of food, 53% of it fresh fruits and vegetables. Since moving into our permanent facility near the Oakland Airport in 2005 and leading the national food bank movement for a ban on the distribution of carbonated beverages, the Food Bank has ramped up distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables by more than 1,000%.
Services provided :
- Prepared Foods
- Fresh Produce
- After School Snacks
- Senior Meal Delivery
- Emergency Box
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (510) 635-3663 to book your appointment.
Address :
7900 Edgewater Dr,
Oakland, CA 94621.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
- Mon:
- Tues:
- Wed:
- Thurs:
- Fri:
- Sat:
- Sun:
Help Residents of Cities:
- Oakland
Help Residents of Counties:
- San Mateo
- Santa Clara
- City and County of San Francisco
- Alameda
- Contra Costa
- Solano
- Napa
- Marin
Community Action of Napa Valley Food Bank
The Food Bank assists people in becoming and/or remaining self-sufficient by lessening the stress of meeting their basic need for food. We provide a variety of nutritious food to low-income individuals, families, seniors, and non-profit organizations throughout Napa County. Through unique partnerships we facilitate four programs and maximize food availability and access.
Services provided :
- Prepared Foods
- Fresh Produce
- After School Snacks
- Senior Meal Delivery
- Emergency Box
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (707) 253-6128 to book your appointment.
Address :
607 Airpark Rd Apt B,
Napa, CA 94558.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
- Mon:
- Tues:
- Wed:
- Thurs:
- Fri:
- Sat:
- Sun:
Help Residents of Cities:
- Napa
Help Residents of Counties:
- Contra Costa
- Napa
- Solano
- Alameda
- Marin
- Sonoma
- Yolo
VACA FISH FOOD BANK
Vaca Fish provides food for families who: Are residents of Vacaville and Elmira; Meet Vaca Fish income requirements; Have not received food from Vaca Fish for at least 30 days; Can present picture identification when picking up food; Did not receive food from another organization on the same day. Vaca Fish furnishes enough food to feed the family for three days. - nine meals. At Thanksgiving, Vaca Fish distributes bags of food on the Saturday preceding the holiday. Vaca Fish serves up to 200 families each holiday. Hours: Tuesday through Friday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, Food order requests received 10:00 am - 11:00 am.
Services provided :
- Prepared Foods
- Fresh Produce
- After School Snacks
- Senior Meal Delivery
- Emergency Box
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (707) 447-5482 to book your appointment.
Address :
40 Eldridge Ave # 9,
Vacaville, CA 95688.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
- Mon:
- Tues:
- Wed:
- Thurs:
- Fri:
- Sat:
- Sun:
Help Residents of Cities:
- Vacaville
Help Residents of Counties:
- Contra Costa
- Napa
- Solano
- Sonoma
- Yolo
- Sacramento
- San Joaquin
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federally run program that helps obtain badly needed food for low-income people and families. SNAP program is also known as Food Stamp.
SNAP benefits in Napa County supplied approximately 40 million Americans in 2018. It is the most extensive nutrition program administered by Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and is a vital component of the social safety net for low-income Americans.
In 2017, roughly 9.2% of American households obtained SNAP benefits, with about 16.7% of all children living in homes benefiting.
The program had used paper "stamps" or coupons in the past – worth $1 (brown), $5 (blue), and $10 (green). These were bound into small booklets of various denominations, to be torn out individually and used in single-use exchanges.
Free Food Programs Summary
| Acronym | Name | For Moms & Kids | For Seniors | For Food Bank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SNAP | Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program | Yes | Yes | No |
| TEFAP | The Emergency Food Assistance Program | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CSFP | The Commodity Supplemental Food Program | No | Yes | Yes |
| CACFP | The Child and Adult Care Food Program | Yes | Yes | No |
| NSLP | The National School Lunch Program | Yes | No | No |
| SBP | The School Breakfast Program | Yes | No | No |
| SFSP | The Summer Food Service Program | Yes | No | No |
| WIC | Women, Infants, and Children | Yes | No | No |
FAQ(Frequently Asked Questions)
1. What is the difference between a food bank and a food pantry?
Independent community food pantries are self-governing and usually distribute food to their clients on a once-a-month basis. A food bank is the storehouse for millions of pounds of food and other products that go out to the community. A food pantry functions as the arms that reach out to that community directly.
2. What kind of food is at a food Bank?
Specifically, Napa County food banks often need items like:
- Peanut butter
- Canned soup
- Canned fruit
- Canned vegetables
- Pasta
- Canned beans
- Canned stew
- Canned fish
3. How do you qualify for Napa County food bank assistance?
To qualify for food bank assistance you must provide:
- Current state-issued ID
- Social Security numbers of all household members
- Current electric bill to prove residence
- Bank Statement for income verification