Social Policy and Diversity

One of the main social policies that frame the activities of the food bank is one that I faced the first day of orientation. The volunteer coordinator made sure to repeatedly drive home the non-judgment and appreciation the food bank holds for each of its volunteers. I believe that this attitude draws many different people to volunteer at the food bank which in part makes the food bank’s programs more well known to a larger percentage of the population of Alameda County. Working at the food bank I have made it a practice to try and introduce myself to all those I work with and interview the volunteers to find out what brought them to the food bank. Surprisingly, many are not volunteering because they are required to, some are retired and want to keep busy and involved, some are college students like myself, some are groups for different workplaces that volunteer together, other families come in together, also some are completing necessary community service for the court, and finally many are past mandatory community service participants who have completed their time and have stayed on due to the welcoming nature of the food bank. The food bank urges their volunteers to take part in grassroots movements where anyone can be involved and advocate on the behalf of the food bank and its interests for the County. Another great way the social policy of the food bank reflects some positive aspects of diversity is that there is division among classes, education level, or reason for volunteering; everyone works together. By encouraging a collaborative environment, the food bank fosters relationships and connections among volunteers from a myriad of different socio-economic backgrounds. By working side-by-side on projects with people I would not normally come into regular contact with, I feel that my experience has been enriched because I am not only able to examine the policies of the food bank, but I am able to also learn how to work among different people which will help me immensely in the future.  The social policy of the food bank to treat everything as a collaborative effort, where no volunteer or staff member is more important that another in the fight against hunger in Alameda County adds to demonstrate how diversity positively affects the population in our society, instead of succumbing to the innate human tendency to compete, we should focus more on working together because it is here where one will discover new and interesting things about the world. One can benefit from new things that other cultures/social groups can tell us and without working together and breaking down barriers for a common goal one will not have the opportunity to get close enough to ever know.          

Services offered by the Food Bank!

The Alameda County Community Food Bank uses advocacy to publicize its services and perpetuate awareness about hunger in Alameda county. They formed an advocacy team comprised of Food Bank employees and volunteers to promote changes in legislation to benefit low-income residents in Alameda county. 


One of the largest events that the food bank participates in is Hunger Action Day in Sacramento, the food bank sends a busload of employees and volunteers up to talk to lawmakers about important issues in the anti-hunger community. Recently there was also a Stamp Out Hunger event, where mail carriers collected food goods when they were out on their deliveries. 


The food bank also employs advocacy committees:



Community Advocates Against Hunger

Join us for our Community Advocates Against hunger monthly meeting. The meetings are held on the second Wednesday of every month.
As the Participant Advocates Committee group has grown; our vision has as well. Now we have a new name, Community Advocates Against Hunger, that better reflects our group's mission to end hunger in our communities near and far. We hope that you will take this chance to join us in the fight against hunger, no matter what your experience with it may be.
The Community Advocates Against Hunger (CAAH) is a group of Food Bank volunteers who experienced hunger at some point in their lives. The committee develops effective strategies for reaching elected officials to improve and expand access to government nutrition programs for all people in need.

As some of my fellow volunteers are in Sacramento today, they are fighting to have a few bills pushed through legislation:


AB 6: This bill adopts simplified, semi-annual reporting for CalWORKs and CalFresh, eliminates finger imaging for those programs, and adopts the “heat and eat” federal option to simplify and expand use of the standard utility allowance in the CalFresh program.

In simpler terms, AB 6 will knock down barriers that keep people who qualify for CalFresh from receiving the nutrition assistance they need. It’s estimated that Alameda County alone misses out on well over

$200 million each year because of low rates of CalFresh participation.

AB 828: This bill would end the lifetime ban on CalFresh benefits for people with prior drug-related offenses. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia have already restored nutrition benefits to people with former drug offenses.

AB 828 will increase CalFresh participation, bringing much-needed dollars into California’s struggling economy. Eliminating screenings for drug-related felony convictions when processing applications will save time. But perhaps most importantly, AB 828 may reduce recidivism by providing a crucial part of the re-entry safety net.

One of the main issues the food bank deals with is making the public aware of their eligibility for Cal Fresh, formerly the food stamp program. The food bank has an outreach program that aids the public in finding out about their eligibility for the program and their multilingual staff will help one fill out the application and get the ball rolling on receiving food expediently. There are many misconceptions about this program and thousands of residents in Alameda county are not taking advantage of this aid program because they mistakenly think they will not be eligible. During my orientation for the volunteer program this is one of the things the food bank stressed the most, getting awareness out by word of mouth. 

One of the ways the food bank collects data and uses that data is the monthly reports due on the fifth of each month from the member agencies. The food bank has 275 member agencies that report back to the food bank each month about their uses and needs. The food bank then uses this information to analyze how to allocate funds, what types of food to buy, and how much food is needed. 

The "guts" of the Food Bank

It seems the inner workings of the food bank are as service oriented as it's outward projection, each and every person I have come into contact with are so happy and genuinely concerned with anything we do! There is no job too small to be recognized, the last day I was washing bowls and at least three employees came up and thanked me for what I was doing and asked either what the bowls were for or if I actually knew what they were for so everyone could be in the know about what the food bank does. Every step of the way the warehouse supervisors explain to the volunteers exactly where the food they are bagging comes from and where it is going. I discovered the bowls I was washing were actually for a fundraiser where children would come and paint them and then they would be auctioned off at an upcoming event! 


This is the event I was washing bowls for:


Join us on Thursday, June 2 at 6 p.m. for an evening of nourishment as we help fill empty bowls in our community. Enjoy a simple and delicious meal of soup and bread, receive a hand-painted bowl to take home, and bid in the silent auction. This year’s event is hosted by CBS 5 weekend anchor and reporter Ann Notarangelo. 


https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=5968&code=EmptyBowls


Some information about the Alameda Country Community Food Bank:


The mission statement of the Food Bank: To alleviate hunger by providing nutritious food and nutrition education to people in need, educating the public, and promoting public policies that address hunger and its root causes.


The food bank provides over 300,000 meals weekly and they work with 275 member agencies throughout the county. This is why the volunteers are so needed and appreciated at the main facility because 300,000 meals takes a lot of hands to bag up and sort through! Their associations include Feeding America, California Associations of Food Banks and the CA Hunger Action Coalition. The food bank started in 1985 and recently moved to the new center by the Oakland airport I am currently volunteering at! The culture of the environment at the food banks seems to be that no job is too big or too small to complete in order to fight the hunger battle in Alameda County. Local food producers seem to be an integral part of this organization, much of the fresh produce and perishable items donate come from local businesses, in fact I bagged up a TON of bread last week from a local bread bakery in Oakland! The food bank's mantra is Donate.Advocate.Volunteer.


This is some information of the Food Bank's 2010 Financials:


Annual Support and Revenue

Federal Emergency Management : $191,274

Agency State of California : 422,793

County of Alameda : 1,773,828

Cities of Oakland, Hayward and other : 51,000

Foundation and corporate giving : 2,752,209

Individual contributions : 4,076,461

Special events contributions : 211,197

Food handling charges : 181,282

Food purchase revenue : 203,497

Interest and other : 366,960

Donated commodities : 25,695,624

Total Support and Revenue:

$35,886,125

Annual Operating Expenses Program Services 

Food distribution $31,199,839

Nutrition education,hunger education, community outreach,volunteer training 2,229,364

Supporting Services

Resource development/fundraising $883,197 

Management and general 370,043

Total Expenses $34,682,443