Redwood Empire Food Bank
Food Bank
Last updated . This is not confirmation of current availability; call before travelling.
Available here 11
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Volunteer Opportunities, In General * (ANY/ALL Types)
Volunteers play a critical role in the work of the Food Bank. Hundreds of people regularly give their time performing a variety of tasks at our facility and ...
Needed here 31
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Office, Receptionist, Volunteer
Answer phones
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Speaker, Volunteer
Speak to groups about REFB
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Volunteers, Elder/Senior Volunteers (This facility accomodates Elder Volunteers)
Be a Senior Gleaner: 55 or older who sort food on Tues. and/or Fri. from 8:00am to 11:30am.
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Warehouse, Donations Sorter/Organizer, Volunteer
Repack food / Label cans / Pull Agency Orders
Find matches
About this facility
- Mission
- The mission of the Redwood Empire Food Bank (REFB) is to end hunger in our community. Founded in 1987, REFB is Sonoma County's largest hunger-relief organization. We acquire food and distribute it through a network of charitable agencies and our own food assistance programs, and also provide food to Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt, and Del Norte Counties through smaller food banks. In addition, the REFB advocates for effective legislation that will provide long-term solutions to hunger in our community.
- Service
- Temporary
Notes
Number of Sonoma County charitable organizations served: 128
Types of charities include emergency food pantries/closets, shelters and dining rooms, childcare centers/youth programs, group homes, and disaster relief agencies.
Programs: The Agency Shopping Program provides food to 128 member charities that serve people in need. REFB also operates its own programs throughout the county: A Child's Portion, Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) for children and seniors, Senior Brown Bag, Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP) for those in need of any age, Community Pantry Network, Backpack Program, and the Every Child, Every Day - Summer Hunger Initiative. The newest program of the REFB is The Megan Furth Harvest Pantry, that delivers nutritious food and education to hungry and anemic children.
Number of people served on a monthly basis: 50,000
No one is out of hunger's reach - seniors, children, and working families are all coming to food distributions seeking supplemental groceries to help them make it through the month.
Amount of food distributed in fiscal year 2006 - 2007: 8.9 million pounds
This is the equivalent of 6.88 million meals annually, or 18,850 meals every day.
Volunteers: Over 5,000 individuals volunteered 70,000 hours in 2005-2006 by packing and sorting food, doing clerical tasks, driving trucks to pick up and deliver food, participating in special projects such as food drives and special events, and sharing their technological expertise. These volunteers filled the equivalent of more than 33 full-time staff positions.
Sources of Donated Food: 15% from local food companies, farmers, retailers, food drives, and 85% through regional collaborations and America 's Second Harvest national network of food banks
Funding: A primary source of our funding comes from individuals (38%), as well as foundations (19%), business and community groups (7%), and community events and drives (8%). Government grants account for less than 16% of our budget. In addition, our member agencies contribute toward the cost of transporting and handling the food through shared maintenance fees for some of the food they select, which contribute nearly 11% of our budget.
Efficiency: We are able to distribute nearly $5.00 (wholesale value) worth of food for every $1 we spend, making the REFB a cost effective investment in the community.