History
The Food Bank was founded in 1975 by people that saw the need for a central clearinghouse for food donations. The Food Bank was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Federal Tax ID# 94-2418054) at that time. Back then, the Food Bank had two employees, one truck, and a trailer for storing food. The driver would pick up day old bread from Safeway and return it to the trailer, where people from area churches would pick it up and distribute it from their food pantries at church. We were certified by the Feeding America (then America's Second Harvest Food Bank Network) in 1981. In 1995, the Solano Food Bank merged with the Contra Costa Food Bank, so we became the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano.
Specialties
The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano has been serving the community for over 40 years. We provided food to people in need every month directly at community sites and through a network of charitable agencies. The Food Bank works to reduce food waste, feed hungry people, and raise public awareness of issues related to food and hunger. The work could not get done without the help of the hundreds of volunteers that donate their time to coordinate food drives, sort and pack the food, and help distribute it to their hungry neighbors.