Among the prime deliveries are easy-to-peel mandarin orange “cuties”, which are perfect for kids’ snacks at schools and after-school programs since they don’t require an adult to slice them. In addition to the cuties, we have a good assortment of other hand-held fruit such as pears and apples.

More than half of all of the food we distribute is fresh produce. Even through seasonal fluctuations, we work hard to keep our orders balanced.  Barbara Abbott, our Food Resources Manager explains, “We have a variety of winter vegetables right now – winter squash, potatoes onions, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, celery and carrots.” Every Monday this month we will also receive a full truckload of lettuce products and fully prepped cut vegetables from Yuma County. This month, we also received three truckloads of purchased bulk oats, pinto beans and black beans which our volunteers will package into 1lb easy-to-transport bags for our program participants.

We are excited to provide people in need nutritious foods year-round, and work hard to make sure there are staples and produce available each month, no matter the season.

WARMING WINTER ROOT VEGGIE RECIPE

Ingredients

•  2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved
• 1/2 pound parsnips, peeled and julienned
• 1/2 pound carrots, cut into chunks
• 1/2 pound turnips, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions
Cook vegetables separately in water until tender; drain. Melt butter; stir in remaining ingredients. Combine the vegetables and butter mixture; toss to coat. Yield: 10-12 servings.

Eric and Cooper Downing crossing the finish line! Photo courtesy of Supermarket Street Sweep

December 3rd was a beautiful Saturday afternoon at the Food Bank. We had a clear sky, the sun was shining, and a father and son arrived on a tandem bicycle…pulling four full shopping carts full of food to donate!

Cargo race winners and tandem cyclists Eric Downing and his seven-year old son Cooper Sprocket Downing were not alone. They were part of the 201 bicyclists participating in the 6^th Annual Supermarket Street Sweep!  Each year, participants crisscross the city visiting local supermarkets and bringing back thousands of pounds of donated groceries. This year, everyone was excited about the results: almost 7,990 pounds of food was collected and $9,652 was raised.

The Downings were an impressive sight, hauling their train of shopping carts engineered to move and turn in unison on their bicycle-built-for-two. Eric, an architect and former professional cyclist, has passed on his passion for cycling and charitable work to his son Cooper Sprocket (who is named after the toothed wheel a bike’s chain rides along). This was their second year in the race – they came back to avenge their narrow defeat last year by hauling in even more food to donate to the Food Bank.

Eric told us, “This is an extra special race. Jennifer [Oh Hatfield] is phenomenal. She puts this whole thing together. We are indebted to her for creating a race that supports the Food Bank.” While there are lots of bicycle races out there, Eric told us “This is the most selfless race I’ve ever participated in, it’s wonderful!”

photo of Eric and Cooper by Jonathan Koshi http://www.flickr.com/photos/koshi/

Jennifer Oh Hatfield who organizes the race every year (with co-organizers Kacey O’Kelly, Jonathan Koshi, and Mike Spencer) wanted to create an event that was “…both a fun and useful way for Bay Area cyclists to help a great cause.” She was impressed by Eric and Cooper, telling us, “It’s great that we have families come out. Eric and Cooper were determined to do well this year and they showed up with an ingenious shopping cart train to win the cargo race!” Proud of her racers as well as her volunteers, Jennifer added “We are successful because of our great participants, our volunteers who come out to count food and help organize things, and of course our sponsors — a ton from the Bay Area and even nationwide.”

It’s always fun to see how different groups of people pair their interests with charitable acts. The Supermarket Street Sweep is an exciting, competitive way to get cyclists involved with food justice and the Food Bank. “I would like to see this type of race for charity in every community. There are cyclists across the U.S. just as there are people in need across the U.S.,” Eric Downing said.

Finally, when asked what he would say to people to encourage them to join the race next year Cooper Sprocket said “F-U-N-Z-O! Because it’s funzo!”

Race results by year:
2006: 80 racers – 1,172 lbs of food
2007: 110 racers – 1,595 lbs.
2008: 150 racers – 5,266 lbs.
2009: 198 racers – 7,507 lbs.
2010: 171 racers – 6,920 lbs. + $4,877
2011: 201 racers – 7,990 lbs. +$9,652

“I am really surprised the ‘World’s Largest Turkey’ is still going strong!” says Lead Turkey Architect John “Lucky” Lister. “Sometimes I meet young mothers who filled the turkey as kids, coming back with their children to donate.”

Twenty years ago, John had been working at Industrial Light and Magic on major films such as Peggy Sue Got Married, Howard the Duck, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? when the Food Bank approached him about an idea for an interactive Thanksgiving display for the Town Center Corte Madera. “It turned out to be quite a challenge to design a turkey that was not as repulsive as the real bird.” Eventually, John was able to make an adorable turkey that Marin residents have loved for years.

Originally having been built to withstand the November weather, the Turkey was so popular that the mall displayed it until New Year’s every year.  A few years ago, on what was almost the Turkey’s 18^th birthday, it was decided that a new bird needed to be built.

It took three years to redesign and recreate the Great Turkey.  Thanks to Ken Sly of Dimensional Graphics, the new Turkey is more waterproof than the previous sculpture, which will hopefully help her last through fowl weather.

Special thanks to:  Josh Koral at Acme Scenery in Brisbane, who kindly let John use their shop to construct the bird.  David Fiend of Parts and Templates in San Carlos, who cut out more than 300 feathers and curved structure pieces. Ed Raymond of the stagehands union IATSE #16, who helped get the word out for volunteers. And of course, to John Lister, who put in the bulk of the work, logging over 200 hours to make our feathered friend.

“Hunger Awareness Month was a great opportunity for those in our congregation who don’t participate in our weekly Harvest Pantry to learn about the reality of hunger in our community, a serious issue our church is working on,” said Reverend Theresa Cho.

In October, the church’s regular activities had a hunger awareness theme. To spice things up they converted the monthly pot-luck into an opportunity to cook meals using recipes that met the Hunger Challenge budget. “The pot luck was interesting, because in some aspects it wasn’t as plush as our other pot lucks have been,” said Reverend Cho. “But it gave the opportunity to have some conversation about how challenging and difficult a food stamp budget is and how intentional you have to be with your shopping and eating on that budget.”

While this was the congregation’s first Hunger Awareness Month, Reverend Cho hopes the experience sparks a recurring tradition for years to come. “A large portion of our congregation includes families with young children, so a lot of the reaction has been ‘it’s so difficult!’ Trying to find the intention and energy to participate in the awareness month sparked great family conversations.”

The St. John’s community has been working with the Food Bank to feed families in their neighborhood for years through their Harvest Pantry. Now that Cho and her colleagues have decided to expand the hunger awareness work beyond the pantry, others are being exposed to the everyday issues of hunger. “Hopefully the experience shows you can’t judge a book by its cover and you can’t guess who is living on food stamps. There are people in our congregation, even though we are in Presidio Heights, that may be living on a food stamp budget and we don’t even know.“

arrival for the pantry at St. John's

With the recent decline of the economy, many members of Cho’s congregation are feeling the pinch, including the church itself. But rather than cutting mission work, which Cho says is often “the first to go” from a church budget during tough times, St. John’s is putting more effort into helping feed their community. By focusing on a basic human issue such as hunger, “it’s helped our congregation discover what’s really important.”

As far as what others in the community can do to be hunger aware, Cho says, “For an individual it’s so simple to help out. It’s amazing that in two hours we can feed fresh produce to 300 families. Two hours out of your day and you’ve helped feed families. It’s that simple.”

Commenting on the success of St. John’s Harvest Pantry, Cho shared “I think people would be surprised at how easy it is to start a Food Bank pantry in your church, and I encourage other churches to get involved with the Food Bank. Everyone can help out in some way, whether it’s through donating, volunteering or hosting a pantry. Hunger is such a tangible and obvious need in the community, which is why it is an issue that anyone can get involved with.”

He asked his parents if he could sell the pumpkins they had been growing on their land in Sonoma and donate the proceeds to local San Francisco nonprofits, including the Food Bank.  That first year, much to his surprise, he managed to raise $100 dollars.  At the time, he was blown away by how much he had raised on his own.

Fast-forward to present day, and the now 14 year-old Coulter and his schoolmate since kindergarten, Phillip Goss, are running a large-scale pumpkin selling operation with as many as 20 classmates at a time pitching in to help. Last year, they managed to raise more than $13,000 for local nonprofits.

While most middle students prefer to hang out at the mall, play video games and sleep in, Wyeth Coulter and Phillip Goss manage to break the mold.  Together, the two are learning what it takes to run a small business while helping others in need.  In preparing for each season, the two discuss what types of pumpkins they will plant, when they will harvest, how they will market to sell, how they will price, and the hours of operation to sell the pumpkins out of the Coulters San Francisco backyard.  In short, they are learning how to run a successful business.

The two attribute much of their success to the support they’ve received from the community.  “It’s amazing how many people have gotten involved to help out,” said Goss.  “Without the support, we’d probably still be bringing in around $100 per year,” adds Coulter.

In all, the boys have raised tens of thousands of dollars to support those in need in the community, with much of the money being given to the Food Bank.

Bill Hansell is a member of the Food Bank Board of Directors, and served on the Marin Food Bank board before the merger of the two organizations. You can catch him playing songs from many genres once monthly at the Marinwood and Glen Ellen farmers’ markets.

“Music is an integral part of my social life. Playing instruments and singing makes me feel good—especially when it encourages people to spend time together. Over the past couple of years, I’ve experienced a new way to bridge the separation between performer and audience.

A couple of years ago, I started playing live music at the Marinwood farmers’ market.  It was fun for me to play where people were already gathering locally and I invited other musicians to join me, too.  Collaborating with musicians of different ages and backgrounds was really fun and soon enough, people wanted to give us tips during the performance.

I wasn’t at all in it for the money, but I realized then that I had an opportunity to marry together music and fundraising. I was already inclined to perform, so it just made good sense to donate any money I could raise to a cause that I’m deeply involved with. I put a sign out by my guitar case with a note about 100% of the proceeds going to the Food Bank and people responded.

Adding the fundraising element really builds upon the satisfaction of performing. One market gig I played included hail and strong winds, but the market was still bustling and I knew that the Food Bank would benefit from my time there. Sure enough, people gave — and the momentum is growing!  My goal was to raise $1000 for the Food Bank through these small musical gatherings this year. As of July, we’ve already donated $800.

When the audience sees a cause related to the performance, it’s a good feeling multiplier.  It’s also a great funds multiplier – each dollar donation allows the Food Bank to distribute $6 worth of food. That quick trip to the farmers’ market brought food into each shopper’s home, and their donation during my performance means that food is also available to their neighbors in need. Music feeds the soul; fundraising for the Food Bank feeds the body.”

Food from the Bar Chairs Jonathan Storper and Jim Donato

The San Francisco legal community really raised the bar in 2011, breaking all their previous records by bringing in $513,783 and 13,386 pounds of food to help end hunger in San Francisco and Marin. Since the San Francisco Food Bank can turn every dollar donated into $6 worth of food, that adds up to well over $3,000,000 worth of much-needed groceries for hungry families. Firms also completed 700 volunteer shifts, sorting and packing tons of food in our warehouse.

Now in its 20th year, Food from the Bar is a month-long campaign, in partnership with The Bar Association of San Francisco, that challenges law firms and legal departments throughout the city to fight hunger. It results in creative fundraising projects - including a miniature golf course that materialized in one law office, and attention-getting costumes, like the hotdog and peapod outfits sported by this year’s event chairs, Jim Donato (Partner, Shearman & Sterling) and Jonathan Storper (Partner, Hanson Bridgett) to support the cause.

Everyone at the food bank appreciates the dedication and hard work that goes into Food from the Bar. This year’s record is particularly meaningful because the San Francisco Food Bank has seen a 32 percent increase in demand for food assistance.

Here are the winning firms, along with our Platinum partners and number of meals their generous contributions will provide:

Per Capita Awards

Grand Prize: Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
First Place: Fremont Group
Second Place : Bechtel Legal & Risk Management
Third Place:  Miller Law Group
Top Food Raiser:  Kirkland & Ellis, LLP
Top Volunteer Recruiter: Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Top Fundraising Achievement: Fremont Group
Rookie of the Year: Bechtel Legal & Risk Management

Platinum Partners

• Stein & Lubin LLP- 42,867 meals
• O’Melveny & Myers LLP- 53,868 meals
• Farella Braun + Martel LLP- 55,448 meals
• Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP- 56, 969 meals
• Keker & Van Nest LLP- 63,300 meals
• Shartsis Friese LLP- 67,755 meals
• Bechtel Legal & Risk Management- 77,578 meals
• PG&E Law Department – 84,975 meals
• Kirkland & Ellis, LLP – 91,666 meals
• Hanson Bridgett – 93,370 meals
• Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP – 131,323 meals
• Fremont Group – 247,080 meals

"Fear The Beard!"

What do SF Giant Brian Wilson’s beard and 2,240 cans of beans have in common? The superstar relief pitcher’s infamous beard was one of 13 San Francisco icons contructed from canned food by some of the city’s top architecture, engineering and building firms.  

It’s all part of Canstruction, an international competition making its debut in San Francisco. The incredible creations, including a cable car, the deYoung Museum, the Chinatown gate and Lombard Street are on display now through Sunday, June 25, 2011, on the 4th floor of the Metreon (4th St. and Mission), 11 am – 7 pm. Admission is free, but those attending are encouraged to bring canned food to donate.

View all 13 of the “uncanny” creations in this slideshow!

Prizes were awarded by a panel of celebrity judges, including Brian Boitano, Food Network star and Olympic Champion Figure Skater; Corey Lee, owner and chef at award-winning Benu; Frank Mallicoat, KPIX Morning News Anchor; Peter Pfau, Architect and Principal at Pfau Long Architecture; Mark Bley, President and CEO of Dome Construction; Laura Blumenfeld of Interior Architecture & Design Department at Academy of Art University; and Mark Moore, Structural Engineer and Principal at ZFA Structural Engineers.  

The judges deliberate

 Winning entries: 

Juror’s Favorite: “The Little Engine that CAN,” by Crome Architecture
Structural Ingenuity: “The Heart of the City – SF Food Bank Logo,” by Bull Stockwell Allen, Tipping Mar, Pankow
Best Use of Labels: “Bay Area Rapid CANsportation,” AKA “Lombard Street,” Arup
Best Meal: “Chillin at FisherCANs Wharf,” AKA “Crab in Chowder Bowl,” by Gensler/Glumac

Crystal Honorable Mentions:

“Fear the Beard,” by Fulcrum Structural Engineering and Feldman Architecture
“I Left My Art In San Francisco,” by Design Partnership and McCarthy Building Companies

Plaque Honorable Mentions:

“Gate at Grant at Grant Avenue,” by KMD, DPR Rutherfore+Chekene and M+NLB
“Historic Castro Theatre,” by Degenkolb Engineers

After the exhibition closes, the 50,000-plus cans of food will be donated to the San Francisco Food Bank – enough to provide thousands of meals for those at risk of hunger. That will be a real boon, because we’ve faced a 32% increase in demand for food assistance in the past year.

I’m a daily KGO listener and last week, I heard them mentioning a big announcement coming the next day.  They mentioned it so many times that I thought it had better be pretty important, it had better change the world!

When I heard the executive director of the Food Bank on the radio the next day, I was just overwhelmed — I always am when I hear the numbers about hunger.  It made me think, because just two weeks before that we got a paper bag in the mail for the postal food drive.  My mom and I looked through our cupboards and then went to the store for more food to donate.  We ended up leaving two big bags of groceries out, and it felt good to do that.

I live with my senior mom and we’re paycheck to paycheck.  Between my paycheck and my mom’s social security, we don’t go hungry, thank the Lord.  We’ve been really tight, but we’ve never been hungry.  So when I heard about all of this on the radio that morning, I checked the Food Bank’s website and read about the programs, and I thought we should do some more.

When I told my mom that I wanted to donate money to the Food Bank every month, she asked me how I could afford it with all the bills.  We talked about it a lot and I realized I could probably drink a few less lattes, or pick up the paper a few times a week instead of every day.  If I cut back on a few things, I could make a small donation every month.  I’d like to donate more, but this is all I can do right now.

Knowing that so many people need this food doesn’t give you a good feeling.  But I think that if everybody gave just 5 or 10 bucks, we could all help each other a bit.  It makes my heart warm to know there are still organizations able to assist people to get through tough times and all these government cutbacks, and bottom line give people some sort of dignity.  I’m happy that I can give a little and the Food Bank will get the food out to people who need it.

To participate in our Meal a Month program, click here.

“Imagine you don’t have a well-paying job. Imagine you don’t have a nice apartment, or your home. You have three kids. You’re working part-time at McDonald’s. Then you have another job on top of that. You have one child in childcare, two in school, and you’re paying more than half of your income for rent. But you know your child has food at school.”

That’s the situation many of our clients face, as described by Venus, who runs a grocery pantry supported by SF Food Bank. It sounds bad enough – but this time of year, it gets even tougher:

“Now, imagine that the summer comes. You now have to find someone to take care of your children, and you need to make sure they have three meals every day. Can you imagine yourself working two more jobs, or another job just to barely make ends meet? Can you imagine yourself letting your children go hungry?”

While most of us are looking forward to camp, vacations and fun in the sun, thousands of children are at even greater risk of going hungry this summer – a staggering 38,000+ in San Francisco and Marin alone.

Summertime means that children who normally receive free or subsidized school lunches are suddenly minus a meal – in many cases, the one meal they could count on. The San Francisco Food Bank will make every effort to fill in that gap.

We’ve added an additional program to our plate, partnering with the Department of Children, Youth & Their Families to provide healthy snacks daily for 4,000 kids.

Our Programs Department also works hard to help keep our school grocery pantries open, or redirects school pantry visitors to other locations, as needed. And we make sure those pantries that serve an increased number of families have enough food to go around.

Through the coming months, we’ll distribute enough food for 93,000 meals every day, including fresh-picked summer produce: corn, tomatoes, peaches, plums, watermelon and much more.

So as we head into summer, please help us ensure that every child has enough to eat. Because for so many, in summertime the living is not easy.