Alameda County Community Food Bank

Summer is the season of childhood hunger.
Help nourish children in our community

Take the Farm Fresh Produce Challenge and see your gift go twice as far

Who We Are What We Do

The Alameda County Community Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has been serving the community since 1985. As the county's clearinghouse for donated food, the Food Bank provides food assistance for 40,000 low-income Alameda County residents each week, which includes 14,000 children and 7,000 seniors. Most adults served are among the working poor.

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Provide food to 300 community agencies that serve on-site meals and/or food bags for their clients

Distribute bags of food to school children in need

Distribute fresh fruits and vegetables several times a week to member agencies

Operate a toll-free emergency food helpline that makes over 1,000 referrals each month

Conduct food stamp outreach clinics

Educate the community and public officials about the causes of hunger and poverty

Immediate Action Needed!
County Policy Change Will Strain Fragile Families

A proposed policy to place a 6-month time limit on General Assistance will have a disastrous effect on our community. If this policy is enacted, 5,800 Alameda County individuals will lose their cash grants (up to $336/month) this summer. Send an email and learn more...

Go to Bat Against Hunger

Help strike out hunger in the Oakland A's Food Bank Wednesdays. Bring two nonperishable food items to Wednesday home games from June to September, and you'll receive a free ticket to a future game. Drop off your food donation before each game at food drive barrels located at the Coliseum BART Plaza and at gates C and D.

The schedule of Food Bank Wednesday games is:

September, 17, 7:05 pm Oakland A’s vs. Los Angeles Angels

Savor the Season
Sunday, September 21, 12 – 3 pm
Wente Vineyards, Livermore

Celebrate the flavors of autumn!
Join us for a festive outdoor celebration of California-grown food and wine in a beautiful outdoor setting. Proceeds benefit the Food Bank’s hunger relief efforts. Learn more...

Waste Management “Curb Hunger” Food Drive in Oakland
October 6 – 10, 2008

Waste Management of Alameda County is partnering with the City of Oakland in organizing an Eco-Friendly Food Drive to benefit the Alameda County Community Food Bank.

Oakland residents are encouraged to non-perishable food items along side the trash and recycle carts on their regularly scheduled collection day during the week of October 6 – 10, 2008. Waste Management of Alameda County will utilize its current fleet of clean fuel trucks, already on the streets of Oakland six days a week, to collect donated food items at the curb. Participating residents are asked to reuse any plastic, paper or re-usable bag to place all donated items.

Hunger Heroes

Ken Taylor (l), 2nd grade teacher at Havens Elementary School, presents Rachel Lee Holstein (r), corporate & foundations manager, with a donation of $1,500. Students baked bread as part of a history lesson and then held a bake sale, donating the proceeds to the Food Bank.

Read about hunger heroes whose outstanding deeds have helped the Food Bank serve 40,000 people each week.

Hunger: The Faces & Facts

Hunger: The Faces & Facts is a study commissioned by the Alameda County Community Food Bank in partnership with America's Second Harvest, the Nation's Food Bank Network,™ and Mathematica Policy Research, Inc (MPR). This research is undertaken every four years, and continually offers the most comprehensive analysis of charitable hunger relief efforts in Alameda County.

This report is a result of personal interviews with 407 households receiving emergency food assistance at food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters throughout Alameda County. Using an extensive survey developed by MPR, interviewers collected demographic information about those receiving emergency food assistance in the county, learned why and how low-income households become at risk for hunger and documented how families cope with poverty and hunger.

Press Release Executive Summary (4 pages, pdf* file) Hunger: The Faces & The Facts
(full report, 24 pages pdf* file)

4-Star Rating on Charity Navigator!

We have been given a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator, America's premier independent charity evaluator. Click on the logo to find out why.

* These documents are .pdf (Portable Document Format) files and require Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you need to download the reader please use the link below.