The Sacramento Region Community Foundation (Foundation) will award over one million dollars ($1,000,000) to address food insecurity in Yolo County over the next three years. This grant comes after months of research conducted by the Foundation that led to connecting with community members, hosting listening sessions, speaking with donors, and gathering data to help determine the Foundation’s new area of focus: addressing the region’s greatest needs in health equity.
This funding will be granted to the Yolo Food Bank to:
- purchase items for emergency food boxes for families living in remote areas,
- invest in the cultivation and harvest of produce items grown for food distribution, and
- fund a research study to determine which food items would be most utilized by the 68 partner agencies as they feed the diverse community and inform the Foundation’s long-term investments.
“Yolo County is one of the most agriculturally abundant counties in the state yet suffers from one of the highest rates of food insecurity,” said Kerry Wood, CEO of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation. “And, with 1 in 3 families in Yolo County struggling with hunger daily, and food insecurity on the rise, the Foundation believes this is the right place and time to make this financial investment.”
This philanthropic grant is made possible through donations from individuals, businesses, and fundholders who believe in supporting the Foundation’s focus area of health equity. All donations to the Foundation’s unrestricted Impact Fund are pooled and invested to grow the community’s generosity and impact. This grant is just one example of how dollars within the Foundation’s Impact Fund are put to work.
“The Foundation’s support could not come at a more critical time as federal and state funding are slashed,” shared Karen Baker, Executive Director of Yolo Food Bank. “These dollars will feed hungry families immediately, as well as invest in removing barriers to food access and nutrition. This grant, which provides both short and long-term philanthropic support, allows the Yolo Food Bank to continue food service, reach the recent uptick of individuals, and be efficient and strategic as we move forward.”
Yolo Food Bank currently feeds 30,000 households monthly with volunteer-led distributions through a network of 68 partner agencies, with numbers jumping 20% since the start of the year. As part of the research study funded by the Foundation’s grant, a survey will make clear what food items are in greatest demand for partner agencies, what items are most culturally relevant for families, and which items will meet the transportation and storage challenges of both families and partner agencies.
Making a gift to the Foundation’s Impact Fund or opening a charitable fund offers the opportunity to be part of a collective effort to drive meaningful change year round. Community members, businesses, and organizations interested in helping to strengthen the nonprofit sector by establishing a fund to make similar grants in partnership with the Sacramento Region Community Foundation in the area of health equity or to any other important cause are encouraged to visit www.sacregcf.org.
