Letter from Bill Gibbs on behalf of the Merced County Food Bank
I t’s been a very productive and challenging couple of years from July 1, 2022 to June 2024. Productive in that we have increased our service capacity and distribution by 17%, completed over $1,600,000 in capacity development efforts for our pantry partners (see page 8), worked with our funding partners to increase food distribu- tion in our more remote areas, partnered with the Central Valley Food Bank and other Food Banks from Stockton to Bakersfield to test a pilot program that focuses on supporting local food purchases from small farmers. We also partnered with the Central California Alliance for Health, the Food for Health Equity Lab at Stanford Medical, and Castle Family Health Centers to provide a year-long pilot project of medically tailored foods for people experienc- ing an A1C over 10, and then quantify the results of the program. In addition, we worked with the City of Merced to approve our request to develop a demonstration garden on our property so we can teach people to grow nutritious food in small or inhospitable areas. The challenges we face are the same ones every- one is facing in the community —the impact of inflation on our funds. We see it in a few differ- ent ways. For instance, we receive some funds from the usda each year to provide food at monthly commodity distributions sites through- out Merced and Mariposa Counties. Our funding level has been reduced slightly, while the cost of items has increased significantly. The St. Louis Fed says, food inflation has only risen 9% over the last two years, but our experience is mean- ingfully different than that. For example, in October 2022 we purchased three truckloads of 15oz canned corn at .66 cents each. Today, that same product is nearly a dollar for the
same sized can —or, 30% higher 18 months later. Consequently, the funds we receive only buy 70% of what they used to in 2022. Concurrent with that challenge, is the fact that everyone is being pinched by inflation, so more people are becoming food insecure and turning to mcfb and our partner agencies for help. As a result, we are now seeing demand for our services approach- ing covid levels; 30 –45% higher than normal. Our food donating partners are also being pres- sured by inflation. So much so that many of them have used innovative ways to reduce food waste —they created an app that lets people know when to stop by the store to pick up food that’s close to its expiration date —and it’s at least 50% off its normal price. That’s great news for consumers and the retailers, but it has unin- tended consequences for the food bank —less donated products. This means, we need to spend more money to purchase food than we have before. Given the current negative fiscal situation of the federal budget and state budget; and its likely impact on local funding, we anticipate a contin- ued decline of revenue from public sources for a sustained period of time. As a result, we are fo- cusing our efforts on fundraising at the individ- ual, business, corporate and foundation levels. If you have the capacity to help via food donations, time, or money, we welcome and encourage your support. Bill Gibbs All the best, Bill Gibbs, Executive Director
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mcfb 2023–2024 annual report
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