About Us

What does the Food Bank for Monterey County do?

The Food Bank for Monterey County is the largest provider of emergency supplemental food in Monterey County. Our mission is “to lead community efforts in the awareness and elimination of hunger in Monterey County.” The food bank solicits, collects, stores, and redistributes food to individuals as well as non-profit agencies that serve the aged, ill, and needy.

The Food Bank for Monterey County is a member of Feeding America, the national network of food banks. Feeding America is the largest domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States.

How does the Food Bank help those who are hungry in Monterey County?

We collect, store, and distribute food through our two countywide direct distribution programs, the Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Family Market, and the Agency Clearinghouse, a network of approximately 90 non-profit agencies that rely on the Food Bank as their primary food resource.

How does the Food Bank acquire food?

Food is sourced from manufacturers, retailers, distributors, grocers, growers, processors, the food industry, U.S.D.A., Feeding America and from community food drives, such as the holiday food drive, and the postal food drive.

Who funds the Food Bank for Monterey County?

The majority of our funding comes from individuals, businesses and foundations. We raise money through grants, special events, and direct mail appeals.

Why should I support the Food Bank?

By giving to the Food Bank for Monterey County, you are helping the area’s most needy children, families and seniors with a basic human need – food.

In a nation as rich as ours, it is inconceivable that anyone should go hungry. In what is sometimes referred to as “the Salad Bowl of the World,” 20,000 children under age 18 live in poverty.

The working poor are the backbone of many businesses and significantly contribute to Monterey County’s productivity and prosperity. They live in households where typically at least one adult works, but struggles to pay for rent, utilities, health care and food. However, many people go home after a long, hard day of work and often find them selves unable to meet the most basic needs of their families. Your donation will support our efforts to alleviate hunger in Monterey County only. To read more about the Food Bank for Monterey County, click here.