Placer Food Bank

Placer Food Bank (pfb), a 501c3 nonprofit organization, is the leading hunger-relief charity in el dorado, Nevada and Placer counties. Each day, our pfb team works diligently to strengthen our ability to provide access to healthy foods for people of all ages, genders, race, and ethnicities impacted by the pandemic, inflation, and/or natural disasters. Pfb serves as the primary Food collection and distribution center for hunger-relief efforts in the area - distributing fresh and non-perishable Food to 758,766 individuals served through its network of over 80+ hunger-relief and charitable organizations. In fy 2022-2023, pfb distributed 9,462,577m pounds of Food through our hunger relief partners, with 13,267,916 meals provided. During the 2022 wildfire season, 7,323 individuals displaced by wildfires in Placer and el dorado counties received 298,270 pounds of Food. Pfb is a member of the California association of Food banks, and is the only local hunger-relief organization and one of only 200 Food banks nationwide, to be to be a member of feeding america, the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief organization. Pfb staff and volunteers live by its mission every day which is to sustain communities by nourishing families experiencing Food insecurity, educating the community about hunger, while advocating for hunger relief.

Our calfresh outreach team works in coordination with our hunger-relief agencies. We educate and pre-screen clients for assistance eligibility. If eligible, we provide assistance with submitting a client's application. Through an active digital outreach campaign, calfresh messaging delivered nearly 180k digital impressions, reaching 65k individuals, directing 2k users to the calfresh webpage to apply. Of applicants that applied for calfresh, 59% were applications were approved; average benefit allotment per applicant: $245+ dollars; estimated benefits generated: $579k+; estimated impact in local economy: $892k+, calfresh meals provided: 158k+.

Placer Food Bank's feed our future program encompasses the several outreach programs which includes: pantrytogo - a free drive-thru Food distribution in 10 locations in Placer and el dorado counties (cameron park, colfax, forest hill, georgetown, lincoln, placerville, pollock pines, rocklin, roseville, sheridan). In fy 2022-2023, pfb distributed 1,616,172m pounds of Food to 104,136 recipients with 33,893 households served. Pfb's kids backpack program provided 678 snack bags each month of nutritious, easy-to-prepare Food delivered each friday for students in the 14 title one schools partnered within Placer and el dorado counties. The school pantry program provides a family-sized bag of produce one week and a family-sized bag of non-perishable Food the next, benefitted 681 families/week. We also elevated our volunteer program with working with over 1,948 volunteers who, for example, bagged 261,489 bags of fresh produce for distribution at pantrytogo.

Through our on-going community-driven initiatives to advocate about the cause of hunger in Placer, el dorado and Nevada counties, we engage our community through social media, storytelling, direct mail and e-communications appeals, surveys, media outreach - all with the intent of educating audiences about the cause of hunger so that we can elevate the narrative about hunger locally, regionally, and even nationally. We engage funding support from our community - individuals, volunteers, corporate and community partners. Together, with the funding and media attention we receive, we work to uplift our community, feed our hungry neighbors, and expand our services to include more families and individuals in need of Food assistance. Through outreach efforts on social media, in 2022-2023, we had 1,118,603 impressions, 497,253 reach, 2,524 new audience members, 6,070 clicks to donation events, and reached a milestone of 12,000 followers. We also received over $100,000 in earned media. Placer Food Bank has been feeding those in need in our community for more than 50 years. Our outreach efforts will help us continue to serve our community for the next 50 years and beyond, as the risk of hunger and Food assistance needs multiplies before our eyes due to the residual impact of the pandemic, natural disasters in the counties we serve, and current challenges with economic volatility and inflation.