Food Bank Comes to Fairfax

Today, dozens of volunteers are gathering at the for training. These volunteers are getting training in new work that has never before happened in Fairfax. They’ll be the volunteers that staff the first-ever food bank in Ross Valley when it opens later this month.

“The community should have some food security, because we have plenty of food,” said Fairfax Mayor Larry Bragman of the new pantry.

The move to open the food bank, which will be an off-shoot of the San Francisco Food Bank (Marin Food Bank merged with San Francisco earlier this year), began last year when the operators of the food bank at S. At that time, Joseph Piekutoski, the center’s human services director, reported that use of the food bank had gone up 40 percent in the last two years. In addition, 29 percent of the people who use the food bank were from Fairfax and 6 percent were from San Anselmo.

The Marin and San Francisco Food Banks had no pantries in the Ross Valley, so residents who needed food had to travel out to San Geronimo or to San Rafael.

In September, when the San Geronimo Community Center made their presentation, they urged the town council to look into opening a closer food bank.

Opening the local food bank turned out to be a community effort. Bragman and Council Member Pam Hartwell-Herrero worked with Roberto Gonzalez at the San Francisco Food Bank to open a branch in Fairfax. The Fairfax Volunteers stepped forward to be the sponsoring nonprofit organization and the Fairfax Community Church offered their space as a place to hold the food bank on Saturday mornings.

“We wanted to do something,” said Reverend Katharine Harts.

The food bank will be an informal and non-bureaucratic affair.

Food will be laid out on tables by community volunteers and will be close to 80 percent fresh produce, said Harts. There are no qualification requirements for those who want to use the food bank and very little paperwork. When the weather’s nice, the food will be laid out in the central courtyard.

“Anybody that feels the need to supplement their pantry can do so,” said Bragman. 

“Who are we to play bouncer?” asked Harts.

For now, the pantry will only operate one time per week – Saturday mornings. The estimate is that it will serve around 75 families at first. But, it may expand its days or even locations eventually.

Until then, the food bank at Fairfax Community Church will operate as the only one in Ross Valley. Food, with lots of surplus fresh produce from the central valley, will be distributed from a central distribution center in the city and then sent out to each location to set up a Farmers Market-style pantry. 

That pantry is expected to open in mid-May. From when the council members began discussions with the San Francisco Food Bank earlier this year, the whole process has wrapped up in just a few short months. The volunteer training today is the last step.

“We’ll roll out without delay,” said Bragman.

 Then, people can start eating.