Photo courtesy of Alameda County Community Food Bank

Hunger isn’t jolly, decked with holly or tied up with pretty ribbons. But it’s as surely a part of this holiday season as tinsel trimmed trees and spinning dreidels.

Last week, instead of ignoring the hunger epidemic, I joined many pairs of willing hands to do something about it at the Alameda County Community Food Bank. I attended a volunteer orientation, sorted cans, bagged pears and was stunned by the enormity of the operation—and the exploding need. A 44,000 square foot sorting room and 77,000 square feet of storage combine to accommodate almost 3 acres of food items—of which more than half is farm-fresh produce.

The demand for food assistance is now so great that the turnover time for all the edibles in this gigantic facility is less than 1 month. Distributing through its 275 partner agencies, 49,000 hungry people—43% are children and 19% seniors—get nutritious food from the food bank’s efforts every week. That’s a staggering 1 of every 6 Alameda County residents.

Volunteer coordinator, Sheila Burks, an inspiring dynamo in a constant blur of motion, delivers an impassioned orientation and leads a tour of the facilities.

“Everything you touch here will positively benefit someone you’ve never met,” says Burks, rallying the assembled volunteers who range from retired people with time on their hands and a desire to do good to those who need to work off their speeding tickets through community service hours. Every year, 6,000 groups and 9,000 individuals generously give their time to sort cans and boxes, bag fruit and vegetables, pack cartons of food, as well as answer the emergency food helpline (which gets more than 3,500 calls a month) and assist with office work.

Photo courtesy of Alameda County Community Food Bank

“Hunger doesn’t take a holiday,” says Burks. “And now there is a new face to hunger, people who never thought they would need to call us. A teacher who got laid off and can’t feed his kids, a massage therapist who broke her arm and can’t work, families who find they need a little help at the end of the month to make it to their next check.”

As she shows us around the huge warehouse, I meet some of the volunteers pitching in on this Wednesday afternoon. A group of 5th graders from St. Martin de Porres Catholic School in Oakland are eagerly bagging pears. They tell me “it’s fun” and “it’s good to help people” while school principal Maurice Harper, Jr. confides that, “Many of our school’s families benefit directly from food assistance. So involving students in a hands-on way empowers them.”

A majority of the food bank’s volunteers come as part of a group: company sponsored employee associations, Girl and Boy Scouts troops, religious organizations—one cohort in their 70’s and 80’s arrives faithfully every 2 weeks to fill backpacks for the Children’s BackPack Program, which provides low-income school children a bag of food to help their families through the weekend.

Looking distinguished even in their hairnets, Oakland residents, George and Jane Collier, both retired anthropology professors from Stanford University, have been volunteering at the food bank for the past three years. They enjoy the work “because it’s socially important, flexible, good exercise and you get to meet interesting people.” Today the couple is divvying up 50-pound sacks of pinto beans, scooping out 5 pounds of speckled legumes into separate plastic bags. Jane admits that she likes bean duty, compared to certain summertime assignments, such as sorting plums and kiwis, “which can get a little squishy.” As specialists in indigenous cultures of southern Mexico, the couple is worldly, well–traveled and appalled at the state of American society today. “Even the poorest indigenous people in southern Mexico have subsistence farming to grow themselves something to eat,“ says George. “The extreme income inequality in America is not found in other countries and it’s only recently—since Reagan—that we have so many homeless and hungry people.”

I find the repetitive motion of bagging scores of firm, green pears or scooping mounds of speckled beans somehow makes palpable the overwhelming hunger needs in our food-rich state. Six years ago, the Alameda County food bank went through 1,000,000 pounds of fresh produce a year. Now that million pounds, often trucked in directly from farms in 800-pound boxes, is distributed in only one month—a 12-fold increase.

While dropping a few cans of baked beans, creamed corn or cranberry sauce in one of the red and black barrels scattered around the Bay Area may feel like a quick fix, what food banks really need is cash and people-power. Because they are buying foodstuffs in such enormous bulk, they can take the couple of dollars you’d spend on one jar of peanut butter and buy half a dozen jars. The time required to process food donations also eats up a lot of resources. As this article from Slate.com makes clear, “Food dropped off by well-meaning citizens needs to be carefully inspected and sorted. A personal check, by contrast, can be used to order what’s needed without placing extra burdens on the staff.”

Besides distributing food to Alameda County’s neediest citizens since 1985, the Community Food Bank conducts several pro-active initiatives: nutrition education classes, anti-hunger advocacy and an outreach program in five languages to help people through the complicated process of applying for our under-utilized food stamp program—now called CalFresh.

After I layered a carton with cans of tuna, chili and soup, topped by boxes of cereal and rice, its 10 pounds felt formidable, like a force that might be able to keep the hunger at bay, for one family, even for a few days. I found it heartening to engage in some physical action against the exponentially increasing hunger in our community. Not surprisingly, a recent study showed that volunteering enriches your feeling of purpose, lowers your stress and actually improves your health:

Sheila Burks says, “My faith is renewed every day. I’m inspired by the volunteers. It’s phenomenally powerful to see people share their time and energy to restore the peace of mind and dignity of strangers.”

A reminder from the food bank: hunger doesn’t end when the holidays are over, the need will still be there in early 2012, even though the focus may not be.

The food bank’s website gives details on volunteering opportunities, how to donate money, organize a food drive or join the advocacy team to promote policy change.

Helpline to get same-day emergency food –- (800) 870-FOOD (3663) or 510-635-3663. Hours of operation: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Father and son Eric and Sprocket Downing in the 2010 Supermarket Street Sweep. Photo by Koshi.

I've only been a resident of the Bay Area since 2006, but it's felt like home the moment I ditched my New York City zip code for the "Best Coast." One of the reasons I moved out here is because it's a mecca for folks who love the great outdoors, and as a lifelong cyclist, I can't imagine another place I'd rather live and play.

Ironically enough, it wasn't until I left New York that I heard about Cranksgiving. This is an annual food drive that's been going strong since 1999. It was originally organized by a group of NYC bike messengers and follows the "alley cat" format of street racing. Alleycats emulate a typical bike messenger's day. There is a "manifest" that lists the "checkpoints" -- rather like the multiple stops messengers make on their delivery route. During a typical alleycat, an individual stationed at the checkpoint will sign the manifest as proof that the participant came by. With Cranksgiving, the supermarkets serve as the checkpoints, and racers buy a list of groceries that goes directly to food pantries and other non-profit organizations.

Cranksgiving has spread around the country, and there are now over 30 benefit races at last count. San Francisco didn't have one in 2006, so I and a group of bike-fanatic friends launched the Supermarket Street Sweep (yes, the name is a riff on the old game show) to help the San Francisco Food Bank. The Sweep also adheres to the alleycat street race style, but there are two categories: Speed and Cargo. For the Speed category, cyclists race to supermarkets as fast as they can to buy all of the items on their list.

And in a hilly city like San Francisco, that's no easy feat. Contestants who'd like to be winning contenders are not only fit, but also possess excellent navigational skills and the ability to plot the best route just like a regular bicycle messenger. And it doesn't hurt to be able to charm your way to the front of the checkout line to expedite paying for your groceries ahead of your competitors.

The Cargo category focuses on racers bringing back as much food as humanly possible from five supermarkets around the city. (The route isn't nearly as challenging as the Speed category as the emphasis is on the amount of food competitors are able to bring back.) One notable winner in 2009, Jeremiah Ducate, brought in a whopping 962 lbs. You can watch him pedaling to victory in this video.

While not everyone is a he-man like Jeremiah, it's pretty impressive how much food folks are able to stuff in panniers, baskets and backpacks. The Sweep has raised over 20,000 pounds of food and close to $5000 in cash, which is the equivalent of 37,333 meals. And with families in California struggling in this tough economy to put dinner on the table, every can and box of food matters.

All manner of cyclists come out to support the SF Food Bank: commuters, families, amateur racers from local teams and other cycling enthusiasts. It's great to see the Bay Area community come out every year to support an important local charity while having fun. There's also an after party with a raffle and prize ceremony for the participants. The event is supported by a wonderful list of generous sponsors every year; this year there's several bike frames, trailers and other great prizes to give away to top winners.

Interested in participating in this year's event? Come out to the Claes Oldenberg Cupid's Span sculpture at Embarcadero and Folsom Streets at high noon this Saturday, December 3. No need to pre-register as participants are checked in and given directions that day. Learn more about the rules and list of what to bring on our blog.

The Supermarket Street Sweep
Saturday, December 3
Registration: High Noon at the Cupid's Span sculpture at Folsom and Embarcadero
After party begins at 6PM
Facebook: Supermarket Street Sweep
Twitter: SFStreetSweep
All proceeds benefit the San Francisco Food Bank

Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division. Photo by Dick DeMarsico, New York World-Telegram & Sun.

Today would have been Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 82nd 83rd birthday. (updated 1/15/12) To honor the memory of the iconic civil rights leader and Nobel Peace prize winner I am sharing quotes in which he expresses thoughts about hunger, poverty and food-related injustice.

After winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 through his work to end racial segregation and discrimination through civil disobedience and other nonviolent methodology his focus shifted towards opposing the Vietnam War and alleviating poverty.

"The curse of poverty has no justification in our age. It is socially as cruel and blind as the practice of cannibalism at the dawn of civilization, when men ate each other because they had not yet learned to take food from the soil or to consume the abundant animal life around them. The time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty."
Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, 1967.

"I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits."
Acceptance Speech at Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony, December 10, 1964

"Man was born into barbarism when killing his fellow man was a normal condition of existence. He became endowed with a conscience. And he has now reached the day when violence toward another human being must become as abhorrent as eating another's flesh."
Why We Can't Wait, 1963.

"I started thinking about the fact that no matter how long an old Negro woman had been shopping downtown and got a little tired and needed to get a hamburger or a cup of coffee at a lunch counter, she couldn’t get it there."
“The American Dream" delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, July 4, 1965.

"So yes, the dream has been shattered, (Amen) and I have had my nightmarish experiences, but I tell you this morning once more that I haven’t lost the faith. (No, sir) I still have a dream (A dream, Yes, sir) that one day all of God’s children will have food and clothing and material well-being for their bodies, culture and education for their minds, and freedom for their spirits. (Yes)"
“The American Dream" delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, July 4, 1965.

"Let us march on poverty (Let us march) until no American parent has to skip a meal so that their children may eat. (Yes, sir) March on poverty (Let us march) until no starved man walks the streets of our cities and towns (Yes, sir) in search of jobs that do not exist. (Yes, sir) Let us march on poverty (Let us march) until wrinkled stomachs in Mississippi are filled, (That's right) and the idle industries of Appalachia are realized and revitalized, and broken lives in sweltering ghettos are mended and remolded."
Address at the Conclusion of the Selma to Montgomery March, March 25, 1965

"There is another thing closely related to racism that I would like to mention as another challenge. We are challenged to rid our nation and the world of poverty. Like a monstrous octopus, poverty spreads its nagging, prehensile tentacles into hamlets and villages all over our world. Two-thirds of the people of the world go to bed hungry tonight. They are ill-housed; they are ill-nourished; they are shabbily clad. I’ve seen it in Latin America; I’ve seen it in Africa; I’ve seen this poverty in Asia."

"As I noticed these things, something within me cried out, 'Can we in America stand idly by and not be concerned?' And an answer came: 'Oh no!' Because the destiny of the United States is tied up with the destiny of India and every other nation. And I started thinking of the fact that we spend in America millions of dollars a day to store surplus food, and I said to myself, 'I know where we can store that food free of charge—in the wrinkled stomachs of millions of God’s children all over the world who go to bed hungry at night.' And maybe we spend far too much of our national budget establishing military bases around the world rather than bases of genuine concern and understanding."
“Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution" Delivered at the National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., March 31, 1968.

"If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. (Yes) And every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize—that isn’t important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards—that’s not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school. (Yes)

I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. (Yes)
I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody.
I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question. (Amen)
I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. (Yes)
And I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. (Yes)
I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. (Lord)
I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity. (Yes)"

“The Drum Major Instinct" February 4, 1968

RIP Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Related Links:
• The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute: Speeches and Sermons (audio and text)
• Sermons and speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Martin Luther King Jr Speeches (audio and video)
• Wikimedia Commons Photos of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hunger in the Bay Area originally aired on KQED Radio's Forum 88.5FM Fri, Nov 26, 2010 -- 9:30 AM

In San Francisco, one of every five children is at risk of going hungry and the numbers are similar in other Bay Area counties. As the holiday season begins, food bank and soup kitchen operators are reporting a spike in the number of families that are seeking food. We talk with officials from several Bay Area food agencies about the need they're seeing and how people can help.

Host: Dave Iverson

Guests:
• Kathy Jackson, CEO of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties
• Larry Sly, executive director of the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Counties
• Paul Ash, executive director for the San Francisco Food Bank -- an organization that collects food to distribute to needy people

Bay Area Food Banks central resource: bayareahunger.org
Map and links to local Bay Area Food Banks: Find Your Local Food Bank

It's hard to think about hunger on Thanksgiving. Today most of us will be inundated with turkey, potatoes, and pie. The idea of an empty belly seems incongruous to the day itself. But for many families, it's a sober reality. In San Francisco alone, over 150,000 people lack the resources to feed themselves and their families. And as this horrible recession we're living through slogs on, more and more people -- many of whom lived middle class existences not too long ago -- are thankful today not only for their families, but for the food banks whose tireless employees and volunteers helped provide today's feast.

According to Lisa Mizokami, the Volunteer Services Manager at the San Francisco Food Bank,

"requests for food are up 20% this year over last -- and the numbers have kept climbing as we approach the holidays. Just this past Saturday, one of our community partners was overwhelmed by the turnout for holiday food. They normally serve around 400 families each week and had requested enough food for 700 for this last weekend before Thanksgiving. When 1,000 people turned up, they had to scramble to make sure as many people as possible received something. But 50 people still left empty-handed."

And Brian Higgins, the Communications Manager of the Alameda County Community Food Bank says his organization has

"referred more emergency (same-day) food in 2009 than [they] did in 2006 & 2007 combined."

The great news is that the number of people volunteering at food banks has also increased. People like you have donated time and money to allow various local food banks to meet increased demand. Yet more help is needed.

So if you're looking for a way to give back to your community this holiday season, or all year, here are some local volunteer opportunities at organizations offering food to those in need. If you know of a great program not listed here, please include it in the comments section.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Bay Area Hunger

This is a great place to get started if you're interested in volunteering at a food bank. Bay Area Hunger is a resource organization that provides information on the the many food banks in the greater Bay Area so you can easily find one close to where you live or work. They even have a map detailing where each food bank is located. Their site also provides information on donating and upcoming benefits.

San Francisco Food Bank
Twitter: @SFFoodBank

The San Francisco Food Bank is the critical link between food and people. They provide food to over 22,000 households each week through 400+ non-profit partners and will distribute 36.5 million pounds of food this year to meet an ever-growing need in our community.

How to Volunteer
Weekend food sorting shifts are full through the new year, so they are now trying to schedule remaining weekday projects through December. Evening and weekend projects are being scheduled for 2010 for those who would like to start their new year off by helping their community.

How to Donate Food
There are over 50 locations throughout San Francisco where people can drop off food.

Alameda County Community Food Bank
Twitter: @accfb

Demand at the Alameda County Community Food Bank is at an all-time high in its 24-year history. In October, their Emergency Food Helpline set an all-time record for food referrals (3,235) households for the fourth consecutive month. The ACCFB relies on donations and volunteers keep their program going, which includes distributing 8 million pounds of fresh produce this to year, nearly half of all the food that we distribute.

How to Volunteer

• Food Sorting -- Because this is a very popular time of year to volunteer, the Alameda County Community Food Bank started a program to facilitate volunteers to directly serve their 275 member agencies. Email volunteer@accfb.org for more information.
• Be an operator on the Emergency Food Helpline -- Operators refer food to more than 3,000 households every month. Bilingual reps are extremely in demand. There’s a six-month minimum volunteer requirement – one three-hour shift per week – and there’s 4-6 weeks of training involved. Email volunteer@accfb.org and write HELPLINE in the subject line for more information.
• Join their advocacy group -- Become a member of Community Advocates Against Hunger (CAAH), which meets monthly and addresses anti-hunger legislation (like improved access to food stamps). Write advocate@accfb.org.

How to Donate Food

• There are food drop-off bins set up throughout Alameda County. Many of these are at schools, churches, and grocery stores.
• You can also take part in the ACCFB's Virtual Food Drive where every $1 donated purchases $7 in food.
• Consider organizing your own Food Drive at your work, school, church or with your community group. They will supply everything you’ll need. Just call 510-635-3663, ext. 318

Glide Memorial Church
Twitter: @glidesf

Glide's mission is to create a radically inclusive, just and loving community mobilized to alleviate suffering and break the cycles of poverty and marginalization. They provide 850,000 meals a year, making Glide one of the largest free meal providers in San Francisco. Glide is also the only program in town that provides three nutritious meals to the city’s poor, homeless and hungry 364 days of the year.

How to Volunteer

• Food volunteer opportunities include serving food, toy sorting, and sorting and stacking food for Glide's Grocery Bag Give Away.
• Glide is also looking for people to participate in their professional volunteer program, including doctors and other health care providers and employment professionals.

Project Open Hand
Blog: Project Open Hand

Project Open Hand provides meals to seniors and people living with serious illnesses in San Francisco.

How to Volunteer
Prepare meals on site, sort and fill grocery bag orders, deliver food, and serve meals for seniors at their senior lunch sites.

St. Anthony Foundation
Twitter: @stanthonysf

St. Anthony Foundation has responded to the needs of poor and low-income San Franciscans for the past six decades. They serve daily meals and provide shelter and clothes to those in need.

How to Volunteer
Volunteer projects range from serving trays in the Dining Room and sorting clothes for guests to skills-based services in the Tenderloin Tech Lab, Clinic, and Social Work Center. They offer both regular shifts and special group projects designed for large or small teams

Meals On Wheels of San Francisco

Meals On Wheels of San Francisco exists to alleviate the food insecurity and loneliness experienced by seniors who want to stay in their own home but cannot shop or prepare meals for themselves.

How to Volunteer
Various volunteer opportunities are available, including being an at-home visitor for seniors who spend much of their days alone, shopping for seniors, helping with small in-home repairs, and delivering food.

Second Harvest Food Bank
Twitter: @2ndharvest

Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties has been providing services to the community for 35 years. They are the single largest nonprofit provider of food to low-income households in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties and are the seventh largest food bank in the country, providing food to an average of 207,000 individuals each month. Of those they serve, 67% are families with children and 12% are senior citizens.

How to Volunteer
Volunteer opportunities include food sorting, education and outreach, food distribution, and office services.

Marin Food Bank

The Marin Food Banks provides food throughout the community, including emergency food orders for families experiencing both short term and long-term crises, bags of food for low-income seniors, and holiday food boxes for needy families during Easter, Thanksgiving, Chanukah and Christmas.

How to Volunteer
The Marin Food Bank offers various volunteer opportunities, which are listed in their web site.

The summer months are a great time for thinking about and eating all those lovely fruits and vegetables that are ripe and in season. But what if you couldn’t afford to buy cherries, peaches or watermelon, let alone milk or peanut butter? What if the rising costs of fuel and food made is so that you could no longer adequately feed your family? This scenario is increasingly becoming a reality for many people in the Bay Area (as well as nationwide), which is why our community food banks are now, more than ever, so important.

I spoke with Suzan Bateson, the Executive Director of the Alameda County Community Food Bank, so I could learn more about food banks and hunger in the Bay Area. I focused on Alameda County as it's where I live, but also because it covers such a large area. Here's what I learned:

• 1 in 3 children in Alameda County faces the threat of hunger each day
• 38% of food bank recipients have at least one working member in their family
• Calls to the Alameda County Community Food Bank are up 34% from last year
• The number of people calling in April of 2008 was 1,890, compared to 1,059 in April of 2006
• The average number of calls has been steadily increasing since last July, with each month establishing a new record
• Since the beginning of 2008, the Alameda County Community Food Bank has received 1,188 calls from people who have never called before

These statistics are disheartening, to say the least, particularly when you consider that as more and more people sign up to receive aid, less and less food is being donated by the federal government to food banks nationwide. As we've all been hearing, the crop surpluses of years past are over. Excess grains are now being used to create fuels and are also being exported to other countries. Food banks now receive 34% less donations from the USDA than in 2003 because of these changes. People are also donating less money individually to food banks as they struggle to feed their own families. The outcome is that our food banks are increasingly in need of help.

But wait, there's also some good news. Local food banks are increasingly trying to find fresh and local produce for families to eat. It's not just canned beef and creamed corn anymore. Because of people like Suzan Bateson, there is an emphasis on providing fresh produce to recipients. I was surprised and excited to hear that 50% of the foods provided by the Alameda County Community Food Bank are fresh fruits and vegetables. This is possible because of a network of local growers and distributors who provide year-round greens, sweet potatoes, and citrus to the food bank for literally pennies per item. The food bank then distributes this food to over 300 agencies, who then get it to the people who need it most. Ms. Bateson also has two nutritional experts on staff to provide information and training to help people cook and eat more healthfully.

But as great as this is, local food banks really do need your help to keep their operations running. Luckily, they are staffed with dedicated and very organized people who have come up with many different ways for you to help make your local food community a stronger and healthier place. Following is a list of some things you can do:

How to Help

• Volunteer: If you have some extra time and are looking for an opportunity to make a real difference in people's lives, give your local food bank a call. Most rely on volunteers to staff food help lines; sort food in warehouses; provide help in their administrative offices; and help plan special events.
  Volunteer in Alameda.
  Volunteer in San Francisco
• Donate: If you have some extra cash to spare, a cash donation can really make a difference. Food banks are usually able to provide around $7 worth of food for every $1 donated because of their low operating costs and agreements with local growers and distributors, so even the smallest donation can really help out.
  Donate to the Alameda County Community Food Bank.
  Donate to the San Francisco Food Bank.
• Start Your Own Food Drive: Donated nonperishable food items are an essential part of keeping any food bank going. You can help provide these materials to your food bank by collecting these goods. This is actually easier than it sounds. Just call your local food bank and ask them to deliver a bin to your office, school, church, or any place you'd like and then ask people to pick up an extra item or two while grocery shopping so they can add it to the bin. This could be a great summer project for kids.
  Start your own food drive in Alameda.
  Start your own food drive in San Francisco.
• Advocate for Change: Write or call your representative, senator, or governor about food issues that concern the poor. Too often these programs are an afterthought, but if enough people call, they will become a priority.
  Learn more about advocacy for the Alameda County Community Food Bank.
  Learn more about advocacy for the San Francisco Food Bank.

You can also support your local food banks through the following upcoming events:

Upcoming Events

Empty Bowls
Alameda County Community Food Bank
7900 Edgewater Drive, Oakland
Thursday June 5 at 5:30 – $40 for a family of four to attend or $20 a person
A great way to get your kids involved, this event allows you to select a bowl that was hand-painted by the children at Redwood Day School, enjoy a delicious soup and bread dinner, and take part in a family art project with your children. There is also a silent auction. You can register online or contact Pam Gidwani at 510-635-3663, ext. 328.

A Rockin' Night of Music
Brava Theatre
2781 24th Street (at York), San Francisco
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Rockfeeds is a group of dedicated musicians who volunteer their time and effort every year to produce a grassroots benefit for the San Francisco Food Bank. Amateur singers are challenged by their friends by way of donations to get up on stage and sing a song in front of an audience, backed up by professional musicians. To participate, donate, or to find out more information about the event, please visit the rockfeeds.org.

Family to Family Volunteer Day
Alameda County Community Food Bank
7900 Edgewater Drive, Oakland
Saturday, August 23, 9 -11 am
With an age-appropriate lesson on hunger for children 5-10 years old, an art project, and a food sorting activity, this event is a great way to inform your kids and also get your entire family involved in your local food bank Space is limited and registration required. Just call 510-635-3663 ext. 308 or email volunteer@accfb.org.

Go to Bat Against Hunger
Oakland A's Home Games
The Oakland A's have set up food bins for each Wednesday's home games. Bring two nonperishable food items to these games from June to September, and you'll receive a free ticket to a future game. Drop off your food donation before each game at food drive barrels located at the Coliseum BART Plaza and at gates C and D.

To find information on the many local food banks in the Bay Area, go to Bay Area Hunger.

June 5th is National Hunger Awareness Day. All year long we talk about artisanal food, organic food, local food, gourmet food, restaurants, the farmers market, chefs, cooking, and yet rarely do we mention hunger or food security. If for even one day a year we all paid attention to this issue, we could help a lot of people in our own communities. There are so many ways you can help, here are just a few:

SAN FRANCISCO

Volunteer
Volunteer with the San Francisco Food Bank. This amazing organization distributes more fresh produce than any other food bank in the nation. They use volunteers to sort food weekdays and weekends. Click on "Volunteer" to learn more and to sign up for a shift.

Eat out
Go to Kuleto's on June 5 and order the special Hunger Awareness Day three course prix fixe dinner at Kuleto's restaurant in San Francisco and the proceeds will be donated to the Food Bank. Call 415-397-7720 to make a reservation.

Go shopping
Make a $5 donation to the San Francisco Food Bank at any San Francisco Macy's store on June 5 and receive a 15% off savings pass for the entire day.

Donate
A $10 donation allows the San Francisco Food Bank to provide meals to 40 children. You can also donate non-perishable food items. Click on "Donate" to learn more.

Take a cooking class
Learn how to make a gourmet Italian dinner at Sur la Table with Chef Bob Helstrom of Kuleto's on June 5, Hunger Awareness Day. All proceeds from the ticket sales will be donated to the Food Bank. Call Sur la Table at 415.732.7900 for details and tickets.

Visit Union Square
Join the San Francisco Food Bank from 12:00 - 1:00 on Hunger Awareness Day to learn more about the issue of hunger and how you can run a food drive, volunteer or advocate for an end to hunger in San Francisco.

Wine. Dine. Donate.
Tanya Steel, editor-in-chief of Epicurious.com, and chefs Mark Franz, Jan Birnbaum, and Parke Ulrich invite you to San Francisco's Farallon for a dinner to benefit America's Second Harvest. The evening's special menu will feature dishes personally created by each chef, including diver scallop carpaccio, crispy maple pork belly, and roasted strawberry turnovers. Click on "Wine. Dine. Donate." to buy tickets.

ALAMEDA

Attend a Fundraiser
The second annual Empty Bowls event is on Tuesday, June 5, 5:30 - 7:30 pm at the Food Bank, 7900 Edgewater Drive in Oakland. The family-friendly event features Chef Ann Cooper, Renegade Lunch Lady, as the keynote speaker. Guests will be invited to select a hand-painted bowl to take home as a reminder of hunger and the empty bowls in the community. A silent auction will feature ceramic pieces from local artists and gift certificates from local businesses. Delicious soup and bread is being donated by the San Francisco Soup Company and Semifreddi's Bakery. Tickets are $20 for an individual, $40 for a family of two adults and two children ($5 for additional child) and may be purchased by calling 510-635-3663 ext. 328 or click on "Attend a Fundraiser" to purchase tickets online.

Volunteer
There are lots of opportunities to help out in Alameda. You can coordinate a food drive or sort food. Click on "Volunteer" for ways to get inolved.

Donate
Every month thousands of Alameda County residents rely on the Food Bank for nutritious food resources. Your donations help provide low-income families and individuals with emergency food assistance and the most invaluable resource of all, hope. Your donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law. Click on "Donate" to learn more.