Bank of America Supports CAPSBC Food Bank to Address Hunger Issue

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Last week, Bank of America awarded Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County (CAPSBC) a grant in the amount $7,500 to help advance pathways to economic mobility. The funding will support the CAPSBC Food Bank operation, the largest provider of emergency food in San Bernardino County.

CAPSBC CEO Patricia L. Nickols-Butler stated, “There are over 400,000 people living in poverty in San Bernardino County and struggling to meet their basic needs. Food is a necessity and no one should have to worry if they will have enough food to eat. Our Food Bank ensures individuals in need are connected to available resources. Bank of America supports CAPSBC’s Food Bank not only with monetary grants, but they also have a corporate philosophy of giving back to the community through frequent employee volunteer participation at our Food Bank.

“We are honored to partner with Bank of America in alleviating poverty and building thriving communities.” “Fighting food insecurity is a critical stepping stone on the pathway to economic stability,” said Al Arguello, Inland Empire market president, Bank of America. “We are proud to partner with the Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County to ensure that our neighbors don’t have to make the difficult choice between paying their bills and putting food on the table.”

The CAPSBC Food Bank program has been operating since 1984. Millions of pounds of food are provided each year at no charge to 175 non-profit organizations to serve the basic needs of San Bernardino County’s low-income community. The Food Bank has provided over 160 million pounds of food since its inception. Programs include:

• USDA Commodities: Commodities are provided through a network of 120 nonprofits for emergency food distribution to eligible individuals and households.
• Salvage Food: The Food Bank collects food and distributes these products to the low-income communities through a network of 80 nonprofit partners.
• Congregate Feeding: A network of community nonprofits that provides nearly 75,000 hot meals each month through soup kitchens.
• Senior Choice Nutrition Program: Fresh produce and additional healthy product is provided to eligible seniors at no-cost to the recipient in a market-style layout at a senior center or low-income senior housing facility.
• Food Policy Advisory Council serving San Bernardino County: A collaborative of San Bernardino County agencies and individuals seeking to improve the food system, healthy food options and advocate for supportive policies.

In 2016, the Food Bank received 11,534,084 pounds of food that was valued at $19,232,871. The Food Bank program assisted 379,663 households with USDA/Salvaged Foods. It supplemented 399,839 pounds of USDA and 736,431 pounds Salvaged Foods to Soup Kitchens/Congregate Feeding Agencies which totals 1,136,298 pounds. This allowed the Soup Kitchens to serve 748,203 meals.

Anyone interesting donating to the CAPSBC Food Bank, may make a check payable to CAPSBC and mail to 696 S. Tippecanoe Ave., San Bernardino, CA 92408, or a secure donation can be made on our website at: www.capsbc.org/donate If you would like to volunteer, please e-mail: msalcido@capsbc.org or fill out a volunteer form at www.capsbc.org/volunteer

Author: WSS News