“The food I receive helps me get by.”

Joann Medeiros is a retired San Francisco native on a fixed income. She is a volunteer and program participant at the Hosanna Celebration pantry in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco. We met her at the pantry when she was working and she kindly shared her story with us. Volunteering is my way of giving [...]

“I just keep on truckin’ and try to survive.”

Lucille is struggling with myriad health issues and is on frequent dialysis. She receives groceries each week through our home-delivered groceries program. I grew up in Wilson, LA and I moved out here to find a job in 1963. And I did get one. Fact is, I worked up until just two years ago. I [...]

“We’re really grateful.”

Rose Chang is 85. She lives at a senior citizens’ residence in the Tenderloin, and shared her story with us recently. I’ve lived here for 11 years, and I participate and volunteer at the pantry every week. There are usually five or six of us, and we really like to do the work. It gives [...]

“I’m blessed.”

Roscoe is 91 years old. Each month, he scrimps to cover his rent, health insurance and medicine on what he receives through Social Security and a small union pension. He visits a Food Bank pantry in Ingleside, where he shared his story with us: I came out to California in 1943 to work in the [...]

Stories that inspired us in 2010

This past year, the need for food was staggering. We constantly broke our all-time monthly record for the most food delivered to hungry families in San Francisco and Marin, distributing millions of pounds of food every month. How did we do it? With the help of amazing volunteers, donors and clients who constantly inspire us. [...]

New Hybrid Truck Rolls Out Savings – and a New Look

The San Francisco Food Bank recently celebrated the arrival of our first hybrid truck. Not only will the new truck mean a 38% savings in fuel costs, but it will also cut back on noise and pollution in neighborhood areas when deliveries are made. The new truck’s look is as bold as its fuel savings. [...]

“I know just how far my check will go.”

Charlie receives a monthly box of food from the Food Bank through a government program called CSFP. He lives in an assisted living facility near the Castro. At 67, he’s high-spirited in spite of myriad physical ailments. We met Charlie as he waited in his lobby for the food distribution to start. He smiled and [...]