Redwood Empire Food Bank

Since 1987, the Redwood Empire Food Bank (REFB) has been feeding their neighbors in need and leading the community to end hunger. They distribute food through their own programs and partner organizations in Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties. REFB works on the front lines of food assistance in their region, playing a crucial role in the lives of over 117,000 individuals annually.

REFB operates over 130 sites in Sonoma County in addition to providing food for over 150 partners throughout their service area. REFB’s provision of help is tailored to meet the needs of multicultural, multigenerational and multi-regional populations. They aim to provide a well-rounded provision of help that includes over 40 percent fresh produce.

They emphasize the value of wholesome, fresh foods to foster overall health and wellness, tailoring their offering where possible to meet clients’ unique dietary needs. While REFB has been serving veterans all this time, they knew through their client-level data collection system (W5) that they had only scratched the surface of veteran hunger in their area.

Funded Program

The Rooted in Evidence Food Bank Program funded REFB’s deep dive into Sonoma County’s veteran community to learn to partner with military service providers and veterans to end hunger in their community through food distribution and volunteer opportunities. 

During the grant period, REFB evaluated the impact of food access on the overall health outcomes of veteran families and successfully launched Operation End Hunger, a new veteran-specific program tailored to support the needs of veterans facing hunger in the REFB community. REFB will continue to engage local veteran service providers and veteran volunteers in their efforts and hopes for more informed decisions as they expand the pilot program to better reach veterans throughout their entire service area.