The following programs serve people who are in need of food:
Food Connection is a toll-free hotline that helps people in need of food find resources in their neighborhood. Multilingual staff members direct callers to local food assistance programs in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. People in need of food can call 1-800-984-3663 for more information.
Our Partner Agencies program provides food to more than 300 non-profit agencies (PDF) in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. Our partner agencies serve a culturally-diverse range of populations and include soup kitchens; pantries; rehabilitation centers; shelters for individuals, families, and victims of domestic violence; schools; senior centers; and more.
The beauty of this program is that because the Food Bank provides food to these agencies, our partners can focus their time and resources on their areas of expertise. To strengthen the community and develop a safety net of food services, we also provide our partners with cold storage units, shelving, and other resources that allow them to serve more food to more people in their neighborhoods.
Children's Nutrition provides children who are at risk of chronic hunger with the food they need to grow up healthy.
- Youth Programs that our partners run receive nutritious, kid-friendly food to provide to low-income children that are involved in residential, after-school, and summer programs.
- Kids NOW (Nutrition on Weekends) provides an assortment of healthy, ready-to-eat food each Friday for children and their families.
Family Harvest provides supplemental, nutritious food per month to approximately low-income families with minor dependent children. Volunteers help distribute food.
Operation Brown Bag, a program for seniors and run by seniors, provides low-income seniors (age 60 and above) and disabled individuals (age 55 and above) a weekly bag of groceries. In addition, volunteers also deliver food to homebound Brown Bag members.
Partners in Need (PIN) provides food assistance to low-income Food Bank volunteers who work at our San Jose or San Carlos distribution centers.
Mobile Pantry assists families and individuals living in geographically-isolated, "walking" communities that do not have access to grocery stores or community services. Members receive protein-rich foods such as eggs and meat as well as fresh produce on a monthly basis.
Produce Mobile delivers fresh fruits and vegetables to low-income individuals each month to improve health and nutrition in underserved communities.
Food Stamp Outreach conducted alongside the Santa Clara and San Mateo County Social Services Agencies assists applicants to the Food Stamp program. Applications are taken by Food Connection staff by phone and in the community. The program provides an EBT card (which works like a debit card) so low-income households can purchase food.
Nutrition Education provides low-income families, seniors, and individuals with resources for improving health, nutrition, and wellness. Nutritionists support partner agencies through workshops on nutrition topics such as food safety, children's nutrition, and more.