Food Bank for Monterey County

The Food Bank for Monterey County serves 1 in 5 residents, over half of them children.  Our mission is "to lead community efforts in the awareness and elimination of hunger in Monterey County" and we have served as the sole emergency supplemental food resource for over 25 years.  Monterey County ranks highest among all 58 state counties in food insecurity, child poverty, and incidence of chronic illnesses such as Type 2 diabetes that are caused by insufficient nutrition.  Our programs assure struggling families, children, seniors, farmworkers, and other vulnerable residents of quality food that assuages their hunger and addresses their nutritional concerns.  95 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to food programs and 1 dollar can provide 5 dollars worth of food.

As sole provider of emergency supplemental food for over 25 years, we continue to distribute over 10 million pounds annually.  Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP) provides nutritious staples at 25 monthly sites.  We distribute exclusively fresh produce at over 50 countywide locations:  10 Free Farmers Market sites, 16 weekly Senior Produce sites, and weekly Farmworker Mobile Produce Pantry deliveries to farm fields.  Kids N.O.W. provides weekend nutrition via food bags to children each Friday.  We supply food to over 150 nonprofits through Agency Clearinghouse.  In the past 10 years, service has gone up more than 40% and our programs are needed now more than ever.  When hunger occurs in a large swath-34%-of the county's population, the economy, schools, workplaces, healthcare systems, neighborhoods, and cultural life of the community are all affected.  While those directly experiencing hunger suffer the most, not one person is untouched.