Combating Hunger: River City Foodbank's Battle Against Food Insecurity.

Join me, Jeff Holden, for an enlightening conversation with Amanda McCarthy, Executive Director of River City Food Bank, as we explore the vital role food banks play in our communities. Amanda breaks down the differences between regional and local food banks, shedding light on how River City Food Bank directly supports nearly 30,000 people each month. Discover the organization's incredible adaptability in the face of rising food insecurity, and learn about the dedicated staff, volunteers, and donors who make it all possible.

We'll shift our focus to the financial backbone of the operation, detailing how a $2 million budget and a team of 17 employees manage to distribute over 3 million pounds of food annually. From individual donations to corporate partnerships and events like Empty Bowls, you'll gain insight into the strategic adjustments made to meet growing needs. Amanda shares the challenges of increasing demand and limited resources, highlighting the crucial support provided to communities like a recent influx of Afghan refugees.

Finally, we highlight the power of community partnerships and their impact on tackling food insecurity. Amanda discusses the collaborative efforts with organizations such as Molina Health, VSP and SMUD, emphasizing the importance of addressing the root causes of hunger, like cost of living and housing. Through heartfelt stories and the recognition of unsung heroes, you'll gain a deeper understanding of the emotional and physical toll this work takes, and the unwavering commitment to ensure no neighbor goes hungry. Don't miss this heartfelt tribute to the people making a difference in our community and keeping our neighbors fed.

You can learn more about River City Food Bank by clicking on the link: https://rivercityfoodbank.org/

Episode Highlights
(00:15 - 00:49) Food Banks
(05:10 - 06:13) Staff Expansion and Food Distribution
(10:14 - 11:05) Funding Sources for Nonprofit Organization
(13:36 - 14:28) Geographical Access to Food Services
(16:50 - 17:47) Ending Hunger
(19:26 - 20:33) Ending Hunger
(30:31 - 31:06) Impact of Food Insecurity in Neighborhoods

Episode Chapters
(00:00) Food Bank Operations and Community Support
River City Food Bank serves 30,000 people monthly with fresh food, relying on staff, volunteers, and donors to combat hunger.

(10:14) Sustainable Funding and Service Distribution
Funding, operations, and challenges of a $2 million food bank serving Afghan refugees in Midtown and Arden Arcade.

(18:23) Community Partnerships and Root Causes
Community partnerships, root causes of hunger, and the rise of senior food insecurity are addressed by food banks.

(23:26) Impactful Stories of Community Support
Team's dedication and mutual support at River City Food Bank, uplifting success stories, growing need for resources, and optimizing efforts for sustainable solutions.

(30:32) Unsung Heroes of Food Insecurity
River City Food Bank serves 700 new households monthly, addressing food insecurity and acknowledging the dedication of its te

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Transcript

Amanda McCarthy: [00:00:00] So I have been in this industry for many years and what I can tell you. is hunger does not discriminate. We're serving, right now, 700 brand new families every month, folks who have never been to the food bank before, never thought they would need to go to the food bank before. But what I can tell you are, these families could be my neighbor, someone in my family, my friend.

They're coming to us for so many reasons, from everything. Every background, every walk of life. And it doesn't take much to pull someone from being fine. Even just making it paycheck to paycheck to being in crisis.

Jeff Holden: Hi, I'm Jeff Holden. Welcome to the nonprofit podcast network. Our purpose and passion is to highlight a nonprofit organization in each weekly episode, giving that organization an opportunity to tell their [00:01:00] story. In their words, to better inform and educate the respective communities they serve, as well as provide one more tool for them to share their message to constituents and donors.

Our goal is to help build stronger communities through shared voices, and to both encourage and support the growth of local non profit organizations through podcasting. Thanks to our founding partners for their foresight in helping us transform the way conversations start. CapTrust, fiduciary advice for endowments and foundations.

Runyon Saltzman Incorporated, RSE, marketing, advertising, and public relations creating integrated communications committed to improving lives. And Western Health Advantage, a full service health care plan for individuals, employer groups, and families. Before the episode begins, I want to take a minute to share that we now have a website where you can sign up to get our weekly email updates on the latest episodes, transcripts to prior episodes, and more.

And see what else we have going on. Please be sure to [00:02:00] register so you never miss an episode or any other important information we may have to share in the nonprofit space. You can find us now at nonprofpod. com. That's nonprofpod. com. Easy peasy. You'll also notice on the website, a microphone in the lower right hand corner.

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Thanks. You may not have been aware that September is Hunger Action Month. It's only fitting, then, that we would do an original episode with one of the organizations working to support those experiencing food insecurity in our community. What you're going to hear, I hope, disturbs you on one hand and encourages you on the other.

Our problem of families not getting enough to eat, having to make decisions [00:03:00] between rent or food, gas for the car to get to work or food, medicine or food, clothes for the kids or food, utility bills or food. The list goes on and on. Things have not gotten better and you're going to hear that in the story we're about to share about the great work that the River City Food Bank is doing to support those in need.

For So children don't go to school hungry or grandparents seniors can afford their medication and still eat Amanda McCarthy has a passion to build healthy communities She began her professional career working for a food bank in Seattle and we're fortunate to now have her in Sacramento as the executive director of the River City Food Bank her enthusiasm to increase awareness of the hunger problem as Well as her commitment to alleviating the very problem that keeps her employed is contagious, we can do better, and it's the collaborative spirit with which she works that leads me to believe there really are solutions to halting the ever increasing challenge of feeding those in need in our region.

Amanda [00:04:00] McCarthy, welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. 

Amanda McCarthy: Thanks for having me. 

Jeff Holden: Thanks for reminding me that September is Hunger Action Month because we've got a variety of different programs that we've done relative to food and food insecurity, and what better month to be discussing a food bank. Let's start right there, a food bank.

You know, it conjures up all sorts of images of what people might think that looks like. There's a lot of misperceptions about what food banks are, and there are a variety of different types of food banks. What is the difference with River City Food Bank? 

Amanda McCarthy: So there are a number of us doing this really important work of getting food into the hands of people that need it.

There's a couple of different ways to look at this. We've got regional food banks who are these large distributors. They are really built to source volumes of food, store it, and then make it available to smaller food banks like River City. And we're really that boots on the ground [00:05:00] approach where we're taking the food and getting it directly into the hands of people that need it.

Jeff Holden: Unlike, as you were mentioning, that big distribution center, which would be Sacramento Food Bank. 

Amanda McCarthy: Correct. 

Jeff Holden: Where people still have the perception that they service the individual, which they do not. 

Amanda McCarthy: Correct. 

Jeff Holden: They service the food banks. 

Amanda McCarthy: Right. So we are this really important network of agencies, and we're all working together with this common goal, this common mission to alleviate hunger, to end hunger in our community, but it takes each and every one of us serving in a slightly different way.

Jeff Holden: We talked a little bit earlier on our pre call about the changes from pre pandemic pandemic to today. And I would guess most of us have the same perception that I did was that pandemic was really difficult for the food banks and you saw this huge influx of people during the pandemic come through. But by the time we came out of the pandemic, things would have eased up a little bit.[00:06:00] 

And That's hardly the case. 

Amanda McCarthy: Correct. You know, I think a lot of organizations like River City Food Bank saw an increase in funding opportunities and folks really reaching out, wanting to help. I remember on the news seeing these lines of people at food banks waiting for food and You know, hunger has always been an issue, but I think the pandemic really brought it to light and really highlighted the need, not just in Sacramento, but in our entire country.

And so, federal government, corporations, lots of folks were leaning into helping through grants and other means of financial support. So, River City Food Bank and many other non profits were working together. able to access some funding specifically for the pandemic that helped us get through a really rough patch.

In addition, many of our guests had the opportunity to maximize benefits on their CalFresh cards. For instance, they had other federal resources that really supported their day to day. And just about [00:07:00] the time those expired, we saw a huge rise in inflation, We saw affordable housing just starting to kind of plummet.

And we saw really a crisis, a war. We saw many, many folks coming from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Russia. So it was sort of this perfect storm post pandemic, if we can call it that, because I know we're still in it, but it was kind of this perfect storm to create massive need for food and housing. I, I really can't talk about one without talking about the other.

They're both, in my opinion, most basic of needs and things that we can't really survive without. 

Jeff Holden: Mm hmm. The numbers you shared with me, pre pandemic, roughly maybe 15, 000 people a month, post pandemic today, almost 30, 000 people a month. 

Amanda McCarthy: Correct. 

Jeff Holden: It's an incredible, enormous Change 

Amanda McCarthy: it is. 

Jeff Holden: If somebody said to any business, guess what, today you're at X, [00:08:00] and next year you're gonna be at X double.

How do you manage to keep up? How do you address that need in such a short period of time? 

Amanda McCarthy: Well, I will tell you it is not easy and as trite as this may be, it absolutely takes a village. We don't do this work in a silo. We do not do this work alone. I would be remiss if I didn't first thank our amazing staff who show up, roll their sleeves up, and really get into the trenches every day.

This is not easy. work. It takes very physical and emotional tolls. But beyond that, we've got such a strong network of support around us, you know, individual and corporate donors. We couldn't even open our doors without literally an army of volunteers who come every day to support the work that we're doing.

We've got food donors. We have a lot of people who have really helped carry us through this time and have really, really leaned into what they're seeing in the community, which is massive need. 

Jeff Holden: Did you have to hire more people? 

Amanda McCarthy: We did. [00:09:00] So when I started there were 12, we are now 17, a small but mighty crew.

And you know, we've got, we've got a few folks doing marketing and fundraising. We've got a CalFresh outreach team that goes out, but the bulk of our staff are operations. So these are folks that do everything from. pick food up, to help sort it, to get it out on the food distribution line, and anything and everything we need to make that operation run.

Jeff Holden: We've had conversations with some of the other food distribution resources, I'll say, not necessarily food banks. The logistics of it all, to me, is mind boggling. And I think the other part that many people have as a misperception is the type of food that you provide. Tell us a little bit about that, because it's not dated or near end date food.

We're talking about a lot of contemporary, fresh food. Items that people who need the service get. 

Amanda McCarthy: I'm so happy you asked that question. So I think [00:10:00] first I'll tell you a little bit about where our food comes from. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah, please. 

Amanda McCarthy: And then kind of how we prioritize the different types of items we make available.

So about 60 percent of everything we give out is donated. So that comes from Sacramento Food Bank, that comes from a variety of grocery stores, and that comes from individuals hosting food drives and, you know, dropping off backyard citrus fruit and other things. And then 20 percent of what we give out is government commodities.

So it's a federal program called the Emergency Food Assistance Program. Essentially, the United States Department of Agriculture purchases food, makes it available to state agencies, and eventually it trickles down to places like River City Food Bank to give out directly. So it can be anything from canned goods to Frozen meat.

And then the third thing that we give out is items we buy. We purchase about 20 percent of the food that we give out. And the reason that we do that is because we are so committed to health. It's one of our main core values and we really. Prioritize making [00:11:00] sure folks not only have food, but healthy options to, to really thrive.

You know, I think that food banks, especially River City Food Bank, obviously are there to give out food, but it's so much more than groceries. When you come to our food bank and you're able to walk in, be welcomed in a language that you speak, get a choice of items that, you know, feel really good for you and your family, it's you really get this experience.

You get health, you get hope, you get culture and tradition, safety, security. It's, it's just so much more than a bag of groceries. And we purchase a lot of produce, about 50 percent of everything that we offer is fresh produce. So if you come to River City Food Bank, you'll see a setup much like a farmer's market and food, you know, we, we want it to be meaningful and that can look like, Fresh produce for folks of every culture that can look like protein items that include [00:12:00] vegetarian options and whole all meat That can look like single Meals for folks who are unsheltered and may not have a place to cook or prepare or store foods for that matter 

Jeff Holden: What's I think particularly interesting about that is the ability for you to cater to the neighborhood In other words, the constituents who are coming in, you're actually bringing in food that is familiar to them.

Not necessarily food that is familiar to us. 

Amanda McCarthy: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: And I would imagine that really changes the dynamic as well. You mentioned the benefits of the relationship inside the food bank with regard to the food, but I would imagine the relationship with the People as well. I even saw on the website. You have somebody who speaks seven different languages.

Amanda McCarthy: Yes. I 

Jeff Holden: mean my gosh 

Amanda McCarthy: Sacramento has long been a very diverse town. I think it's one of the things that makes us so special So we really you know, our core values include [00:13:00] dignity compassion and respect We look at those three things in every lens, right? the way that we offer food the way we treat each other the way we recruit volunteers and And part of it is providing those culturally meaningful items.

And sometimes that's a specific culture. You know, folks looking for those halal meat options, or dates, or specific herbs that are exactly what the family wants and needs. But sometimes it's really just that one thing that helps you get through the day. So we do a lot of talking with our guests. We want to find out what those things are, what the needs are.

We serve a big Cantonese population, for instance, at our Midtown location. So we've got all kinds of fruits and vegetables and some unusual things that I wouldn't necessarily think to stock, but they work and they really meet the needs of our, our families. 

Jeff Holden: I might not necessarily even know what it is.

If I saw 

Amanda McCarthy: you and me both, what is that? 

Jeff Holden: Let's talk about. [00:14:00] funding a bit. You've, you've got your 17 employees and you know, your cast of volunteers who support what you do on a day to day basis. And you're not a small organization. You have right around a 2 million budget. What does that look like? Where does the money come from?

Amanda McCarthy: So we are so fortunate to have so many amazing people in our midst. About half of our funding comes from individuals and corporate donors. And we're talking folks that give 5 a month to folks that give a lot more than that. And believe me, we're grateful for every dollar big and small, about 30 percent of the funds come through grants.

Both federal and non federal. We really try to diversify those so if something drops off, we're not left stranded. And then the remaining funds come from our annual event and third party fundraisers. 

Jeff Holden: When does your annual event take place, just for the benefit of those listening? 

Amanda McCarthy: Absolutely. It's September 19th.

It's called Empty Bowls. It will be at the zoo this year. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, it happens to be this month. 

Amanda McCarthy: It does. Thank [00:15:00] you, Hunger Action Month. Perfectly coincidental. Yes. 

Jeff Holden: Tell us about your geography. You've got two locations. We 

Amanda McCarthy: do. 

Jeff Holden: If you could share. 

Amanda McCarthy: Sure. So we do have two locations. We've been at our Midtown site since 2012.

We are right behind the Sacramento Natural Foods Co op, and that site is really special because we are on a public transit line, and we are located directly across the street from the Department of Human Assistance. So our food bank is really easy to get to, and it's in an area where people are already gathering for other resources.

We have a second location that we opened in 2017, and that one is in Arden Arcade. That location is located in a small, low income neighborhood where a lot of Afghan refugees have resettled. It's definitely a food desert, and we serve mostly the neighborhood. Folks are walking really up to the food bank.

Now that said, If you can get to either of our food banks, we will make sure you have some amazing food to take home with you. But our Arden site is, is [00:16:00] really an interesting and wonderful place. About 85 percent of the people we serve there are refugees and about half are kids. And right now, it's about 17, 000 people per month at that site alone.

Jeff Holden: Wow. I know where that location is. That's, it's hard for me to believe there's that much. activity, but I certainly understand our refugee and immigrant community is probably the hardest hit in some instances just because of post pandemic activity and the surprise of here I am, now what? 

Amanda McCarthy: Yes. Can you imagine landing, you know, fleeing crisis or war or trauma, landing in a place where you don't speak the language, you don't have a place to live, you don't know how you're going to meet basic needs?

It's, it's really. difficult. And so, you know, we want to be here and be part of that space where people can establish community, can depend on healthy groceries so that they can do those things. You know, I don't know about you, but when I'm hungry, I can. I can't [00:17:00] hardly concentrate, let alone think about getting a job, finding a house, trying to figure out where my kids are going to go to school.

So we work with a lot of families who are really just trying to get established and settled. 

Jeff Holden: On that geography, you have the two locations. Does that necessarily mean you have to be in that circumference of some? range to get service? 

Amanda McCarthy: Absolutely not. We are really such a unique model built on serving anybody in the county.

So, you know, doing that without barriers or judgment means we're never going to ask for proof of income ID or zip code. None of those things are required to get food. So if you can make it to either location, we will definitely make sure that you leave with some wonderful things for your family. 

Jeff Holden: So literally, I could come from Elk Grove to either of the locations and still be serviced?

Amanda McCarthy: 100%. 

Jeff Holden: Does that put additional strain on [00:18:00] your options, your team, your resources? 

Amanda McCarthy: It does, but we understand that the need is vast and we need to be flexible too. So we've actually had to make some big changes over the last couple of years to continue meeting the need while keeping our core values intact and, and.

Distributing that food in the most meaningful way. So right now we are distributing food two days per week in Midtown, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and two days in our arcade. And those are Wednesdays and Fridays. We used to be open at both locations on the same days. We had more distributions, but as the number of people in our lines grew, we realized that we needed our entire team at one location to support the distributions there.

So we've spread things out a little bit. Mm hmm. But it's interesting because I think as a board as a staff we were really concerned that we would see numbers drop We weren't sure how this was going to affect us But in reality our [00:19:00] numbers have only grown we're doing more at each site with fewer hours of service 

Jeff Holden: I was gonna ask The next obvious question, if you had even more hours of service, do you think those numbers would even grow more considerably or would they just distribute themselves out?

Amanda McCarthy: I want to tell you that would be, you know, the solution that we need, but I know the answer is we would just have more need with more service. We are, you know, sort of barely keeping up. We, you know, our both, both of our sites are pretty small. I think you, you know, would be impressed at the volume of food that we move through these small spaces.

Last year, it was more than three million pounds. And there's only so much capacity to do so much. And we're kind of at that space right now where we're hitting that stride, where we're not going to be able to serve too many more because of the limitations of our, our size, 

Jeff Holden: frankly. is an enormous amount of, three million of anything is an enormous amount.

Yes. If I said you just got three million dollars, you would [00:20:00] have gone, Oh my gosh, I can't, that's so much money. But when you think of that in, in tonnage of food, that's, it's just a lot of food. 

Amanda McCarthy: It's a lot of food. Last year we served 308, 000 people and distributed three million pounds of food. And I still, every time I say it, my jaw kind of drops.

Right. Because it is, I've said for years, I just want to put us out of business. I don't think anyone should be hungry. I really believe food's a basic human right, and no one should have to wait in a line for it, especially in a place like this where we grow so much food. 

Jeff Holden: Right. 

Amanda McCarthy: But, you know, unfortunately, our numbers are going the other way.

I'm really focused on trying to make sure Folks have options right now. They have food today. They can get on CalFresh for extra assistance, but we're also looking at the future. And what does that mean? How do we sustainably get through this period? 

Jeff Holden: And it's so interesting when you, you just said something.

Ideally, you would work yourself out of business. 

Amanda McCarthy: That's the goal. In the best 

Jeff Holden: case [00:21:00] situation. 

Amanda McCarthy: Yes. You 

Jeff Holden: would close the food bank. 

Amanda McCarthy: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: And ironically, here we are going the other direction. And it's not something we really, you know, It, we celebrate the ability to service, but we shouldn't be celebrating the cause.

Correct. And, and we have to find better solutions to that. Yes. We'll continue the conversation on how solutions come from collaboration with Amanda McCarthy of the River City Food Bank. Right after we recognize the people who make this program possible. I was in the media business for over 35 years and had the great privilege of working with Runyon Saltzman, RSC, Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations.

We collaborated on many different campaigns, but their commitment to the nonprofit sector hasn't changed since their founder Gene Runyon started the agency. Over many years and many campaigns, Runyon Saltzman has been committed to improving lives by tackling California's most challenging issues. Guided by research informed strategies and [00:22:00] insightful, creative solutions, RSE develops innovative communications campaigns that raise awareness, Educate and reduce stigma in diverse communities throughout our state and beyond.

To learn more about RSE, visit rs e. com. 

Scott Thomas: Hello, this is Scott Thomas with CAP Trust in our Sacramento office. I specialize in working with local nonprofits and associations. Annually, we survey private and public nonprofit organizations across the country to better understand challenges they see in today's environment.

In our more recent survey, we heard concerns about proper board governance, mission aligned investment, and how to implement alternative investments. If you would like a copy of the survey or to discuss your organization, look me up, scottthomasatcaptrust. com. 

Jeff Holden: I'm thrilled to have Western Health Advantage partnering with us as they do so much to support so many non profit agencies in our community.

As a truly local health plan, you'll find individual and [00:23:00] family options, employer options, plans for CalPERS and Medicare Advantage. From medical services to pharmacy, health and wellness support, as well as behavioral health care, Western Health Advantage has a plan that fits what you need. As an employer for profit or non profit business.

Individual or family, you can find more at WesternHealth. com. Let me ask you about collaboration. It's an important part of our conversation for non profits. Yes. Who do you work and collaborate with? Who in the community is a resource for you that's of significance and vice versa? 

Amanda McCarthy: Absolutely. We work with a lot of different organizations.

You know, there are more than a hundred organizations doing this sort of boots on the ground, food distribution work. So we, we huddle up and talk about best practices and, and work together on a variety of things. But river city food bank. Also works with a lot of health organizations, the County of Sacramento.

We try to find other like entities that kind [00:24:00] of have this common mission, the missions that align with the work that we're doing. I'll give you an example. We have a number of community partners. Our community partners donate food, funds. And right now we've got Molina, VSP, American Pacific Mortgage, and the Sacramento Natural Foods Co op and SMUD.

And it's incredible. These partnerships make an incredible difference. They're not only, you know, people coming together. Things that we can count on. There are things that we look forward to. There are things that those entities provide us with help and expertise and direction and support. So it's, it's powerful.

The collaboration's power powerful. 

Jeff Holden: We're fortunate to have some of the big entities like a SUD 

Scott Thomas: Yes. In 

Jeff Holden: right here. 

Scott Thomas: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: Homegrown utility company that provides so much because they come up in so many of the conversations of the people that we speak with and it's, it's great to see. If money [00:25:00] were no object, if, if you had, you didn't have those limitations of funding, what would the food bank look like?

Amanda McCarthy: Well, you know, I want to put us out of business, but if I could wave my magic wand, you know, of course I would say no one will, no one would need to be in our lines. But I think the path there, right, is, is making sure folks have access to healthy, food with dignity, compassion, and respect. But also I truly believe we need to start looking at the root causes.

If we're going to end hunger, we need to understand what's causing it, right? So looking at things like cost of living and housing and poverty. So if I had a magic wand, I would probably spend some time and resources doing some of that work to identify and address some of the root causes. 

Jeff Holden: I want to clarify something because As you said, what you were saying there in terms of money no object and identifying root causes, the people in some of our minds that go to a food bank look very different than the [00:26:00] reality of the people that you see.

Can you address that situation a little bit? 

Amanda McCarthy: So I have been in this industry for many years and what I can tell you definitively is Hunger does not discriminate. You can sometimes walk down the street and quickly see someone experiencing homelessness, but you can't always see hunger. And yet, it is such a prevalent thing in our community.

Right now, in our region, about 12 percent of people that live here are experiencing food insecurity. That's the equivalent of about 300, 000 people. And when I talk with 

Jeff Holden: And that's on a monthly basis, that's not an annual. That's not an annual. That's 300, 000 people, give or take, in the greater Sacramento region who are struggling with the ability to feed their families and or themselves.

Amanda McCarthy: Yes. There's countless stories of people that come through our doors and by the way, we're serving right now 700 brand new families every month Folks who have never been to the food bank before never thought they would need to go to the food bank before But [00:27:00] what I can tell you are these families could be my neighbor.

Mm hmm, you know someone in my family my friend They're coming to us for so many reasons from every angle Every background, every walk of life, and it doesn't take much to pull someone from, you know, being fine. Even just making it paycheck to paycheck to being in crisis. So things like a sudden loss of job, your car breaking down, a medical expense that you weren't expecting, you know, anything of that nature could really take somebody into a situation where They're having to make some choices between putting food on the table and paying the rent.

Jeff Holden: Yeah, it just puts you over the edge. You were right on the edge and you tip over and that individual, that family, that senior could be somebody living next door who's, who's just in that space where everything looks fine. And it looks fine from the outside and you don't realize they haven't eaten in two days.

That's right. 

Amanda McCarthy: We're seeing, speaking of seniors, we are seeing a pretty big [00:28:00] spike in the senior population coming to the food bank right now. Folks who spent a lifetime working, putting away money and really thinking, you know, I'm going to retire. I'm going to spend time with grandkids and do all these things.

being in a situation now where they didn't have quite enough. So the safety net, you know, that they've been working forever to put together is not quite enough to make all of those ends meet. And we're really here to make sure folks can put money that would have gone to groceries towards things like rent and utilities, or putting gas in your car to get to work, whatever it is.

But for those senior populations, it's really, It's hard, you know, it's hard to get by and we're finding a lot more folks coming to us just to kind of make those ends meet. 

Jeff Holden: And I would imagine the, the visceral, the emotional toll on you, I mean, the executive leadership of an organization like this and or the team who's there day after day after day and seeing these situations [00:29:00] present themselves that they're, they're sad.

How do you deal with that? 

Amanda McCarthy: It's not easy and I don't think there's a one size fits all way to. I'm somebody who does take a lot of things home at night, and I, it's hard not to. I will say our team is just incredible. The folks who work at River City Food Bank are there because they really care. They really want to support the community, and I think we are a pretty solid team that supports each other.

But it, it's never easy, meeting folks who literally could be, you know, Your family and quite frankly become your family because they come often we get to know them If they don't come for a couple weeks, we wonder where they are 

Jeff Holden: and especially if they're seniors. 

Amanda McCarthy: Yes So, I don't know that there's a really good answer for that We do our best to just take care and support each other and make sure we're there for the community when they need us 

Jeff Holden: happy stories things that You've seen where maybe somebody's in [00:30:00] transition, they use the food bank services and maybe they come and let you know, I got a job, everything's good.

It's so much better. 

Scott Thomas: Yeah. I'm 

Jeff Holden: sure that happens, right? It does. 

Amanda McCarthy: Okay. Thank goodness. 

Jeff Holden: Let's, let's go there. Yes. Let's go there. 

Amanda McCarthy: So I remember meeting. A family of five, probably a couple years ago now, they had come from Afghanistan really without much of anything. It was a pretty rocky transition. They got here, resettlement agency referred them to River City Food Bank.

And the first time they came, of course, like, like many people who come for the first time, don't really know what to expect, what they're supposed to do, you know, what it's going to be like. And I remember talking to them and they, they said, They were just overwhelmed and grateful to be able to talk with folks in Farsi and see all this food, not, not just any food, but, you know, spices and produce and, and halal options that, that really helped them recreate meals that were familiar.

And they came every week. We're in a food desert, they needed our help, but [00:31:00] slowly I stopped seeing them. And I ran into their oldest son, he goes by Sam, I ran into him a couple weeks ago and said, Hey, you know, how are you guys doing? And he told me he's taking some classes, his dad has a job, and his sisters, I think they're both in elementary school, are just loving it.

And he said, you know, my mom still talks about being able to come to the food bank, and I think that that really just was the foundation we needed to just Build community and feel comfortable and get settled in this place where we didn't know anyone. So it made me happy and I think it's sort of this tangible evidence that we're doing something right.

Jeff Holden: Yeah. Well, there's, that's five people. 

Amanda McCarthy: Yes. And, you know, 

Jeff Holden: three of those are the children, Right. who will now remember and as they mature, possibly give back at some point in time, Yes. when they're capable. Yes. It may even be just volunteering as a class project or something like that. Absolutely. To where there's a level of comfort.

Yes. And that's what we need to hear a lot of. 

Amanda McCarthy: [00:32:00] Yes. Absolutely. 

Jeff Holden: On the continuation of, we looked at something from a no money object, reality is you are faced with, you know, budget issues and constraints and things like that. What's the greatest need you've got today? 

Amanda McCarthy: Well, I've been in this industry for more than 20 years and I can tell you, honestly, I've never seen so many people who are experiencing food insecurity.

So the greatest need is to make sure. We have enough food and resources to serve folks. And to do that, I really think we're going to need a variety of things. Number one is we need to enhance our fundraising. We need as many unrestricted funds as possible so that we can fill gaps and plug holes and make sure.

Not only can we buy food for folks, we can service our fleet, we can keep our lights on, we can pay our team, those sorts of things. I think, you know, we also really, really need to double down on our efforts to make sure anyone who [00:33:00] qualifies for CalFresh and other resources has access to it and has help getting it because that can really help folks stretch their budgets so they don't have to make those impossible choices between staying housed and And then finally, you know, we talked about this earlier.

I think there's this huge opportunity to strengthen partnerships. There are so many incredible agencies distributing food out there and we do work together. But I think there's an opportunity to do even more. And I have this, another sort of magic wand moment. What if, you know, we could Purchase food together, recruit volunteers together, you know, share transportation.

There's just a whole host of things that I think we're starting to explore. We've opened the door, but there's a lot more work to do. So I think that is kind of the next, the next iteration. 

Jeff Holden: We've seen that in a couple of different categories, collectives, so to speak, where a larger agency says we'll aggregate the group around us, we'll do the administration, [00:34:00] we'll work with you on the grants, and we'll distribute the grants as equitable for the group doing what are the services that they're providing.

And I see that coming too. I hear what you're saying, where if you could minimize some of those duplicative, you know, activities, you've saved time and money. 

Amanda McCarthy: That's right. 

Jeff Holden: And it's there because there, you said, what, 100 organizations doing food service in some way, shape, or form in the greater Sacramento region?

Amanda McCarthy: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah, there's, there's certainly some duplication going on in, in spaces that doesn't need to I can only imagine the logistics side if somebody could do that AI and everything. 

Amanda McCarthy: That's right. Absolutely. Yeah, there's, there's huge opportunity there. There's some organizations that, for instance, run a little pantry out of their church basement.

It's open once a month and it just serves that zip code. And then you've got soup kitchens and shelters who are serving meals every single day. And then you've got places like River City who do groceries. So we need everybody, [00:35:00] but I think there's a way to strengthen the systems so that we can all work a little bit closer and better.

Jeff Holden: Amanda, what's the best way to find you to, to learn about the organization? Where should they go? 

Amanda McCarthy: So I definitely suggest our website, rivercityfoodbank. org. You can learn about all the things there. You can sign up to volunteer, you can give funds, you can find out where you can donate food from your garden or with your Girl Scout troop.

And then the other thing I will say, there's nothing that will replace a visit. So if you're interested in learning more, I mean, I would love to personally give you a tour, but check us out, follow us on social. We are really good at. Telling the stories of your neighbors, the folks who are experiencing hunger, and how you can help.

Jeff Holden: And that neighborhood reality, I think that's the, the impactful part of it all. Wherever you live, there's somebody in that neighborhood that has food insecurity, if not more than one or two people. 

Amanda McCarthy: That's right. 

Jeff Holden: What you do [00:36:00] sometimes is a thankless job. We, we understand that. Because we take our food for granted in many, many cases.

And we don't realize that somebody down the street is struggling. So, without organizations like River City Food Bank doing what you do in, in your case, in two different areas, and serving a greater geography, it's just amazing. That you're able to do what you do and support the community the way that you do and compliments to you and your team for all that service, that commitment, that emotional toll that we know exists and for you absorbing it and coming back every day and saying, okay, we're going to, we've got this to do again.

And it's a whole new batch of produce. It's some new food and it's going to be. new people, did you say 700? 

Amanda McCarthy: 700 new households every month. Every month. So 

Jeff Holden: you have 700 families each month that present themselves new to the organization. Without you we would be in such a [00:37:00] different situation and not a good one.

So thank you and your team for what you do on a day to day basis in helping our communities be fed. 

Amanda McCarthy: Thanks for having me and thanks for saying all that. I appreciate it. 

Jeff Holden: It's a pleasure. Thanks.

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