Providing Nourishment

Foodbank Santa Barbara County

By Leah Etling on Jan 18, 2016 in Giving, People

The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County does great work every day to assist thousands of locals in need of food, nutrition or health education. Did you know that 1 in 4 Santa Barbara County residents receives aid from a Foodbank program each year? Those assisted include a range of case types, from critical need situations among the homeless, to children who do not have healthy food options at home, to fixed income seniors.

Over the holiday season, Yardi’s Santa Barbara office was a major part of the Foodbank’s effort to raise funds, collect donations, harvest fresh fruit, and enhance awareness of the non-profit. Yardi was a top performer in the 2015 Corporate Challenge campaign, which saw 13 local companies participate.

Thanks to the efforts of our employees, Yardi contributed 2,776 pounds of food, 127 turkeys, and made a significant financial contribution to the Foodbank. All told, the efforts made possible a total of over 280,958 meals for local families in need. Food collected by Yardi employees comprised over 30 percent of everything collected during the Corporate Challenge event.

“Yardi continues to step up every year. The company has been participating in the corporate challenge for a few years now, but this year was by far the largest participation, with a lot of excitement around the event,” said Misha Garrison, The Foodbank’s Development Manager.

Employees donated funds and food, rallied others on their teams to join in contributing to the cause, volunteered their time to pick fruit for the Foodbanks’ Backyard Bounty program, raised money at the holiday bake sale, and much more.

Year-round need

While it is a natural inclination to think of the Foodbank’s mission during the holiday season, the truth is that the non-profit needs volunteers and support all year long. Last year, the Foodbank distributed more than 10 million pounds of food across Santa Barbara County. More than 300 partner organizations, from non-profits to churches to government services, pitch in to get food in the hands of those who need it.

Today’s Foodbank looks and functions differently than past iterations, explained Eric Talkin, Chief Executive Officer. Rather than being a repository for unwanted, often unhealthful food discarded by corporations or supermarket chains, there is an emphasis on healthy products, nutrition, and education.

“Over the last five years, we have begun moving people from hunger to health,” Talkin said.

Rather than simply handing out bags of food, Foodbank recipients are now more likely to attend an event where they might receive pointers on cooking, procurement and storage practices, and access to recipes that are healthy and heart-smart.

Kids are also a huge part of the effort. Yardi is a corporate supporter of the Feed the Future program, which help ensure that growing youth under age 18 get the nutrition that they need. Over 45 percent of individuals served by the Foodbank each year are children. Programs like the Kids Farmer’s Market and the Healthy School Pantry educate them about smart nutrition choices and make learning and eating fun.

Searching for a new home

2016 brings a unique challenge for the Foodbank. Due to the small size of their warehouse in Santa Barbara, they are on the hunt for a new property or industrial space on the South Coast that would better suit the needs of this bustling non-profit.

Each day, thousands of pounds of food are delivered, organized, stored, procured and ultimately distributed to those in need. Volunteers, warehouse staff, and employees of partner agencies work and visit, creating a veritable beehive of activity.

Talkin shared a shocking fact: “We are turning away about 2.2 million pounds of food a year, and nearly half of that is fresh produce. If we had a larger facility with a loading dock and larger cooler space, we could bring in more of that produce.”

The Foodbank is seeking an acre to acre-and-a-half parcel with room for a 25,000 square feet warehouse and parking. The current warehouse is just 11,000 square feet. “We just don’t have enough freezer space for all the fresh produce,” Talkin said.

Whether you have the ideal piece of real estate in mind for the Foodbank or would like to volunteer your time, find out more at http://www.foodbanksbc.org/. Volunteers are needed to assist with the Backyard Bounty program, and sort food on Wednesdays at the Hollister Ave. warehouse from 1-3pm.